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  • Lene KaaberbølDenmark ⋆ Author
  • Ayantika Mukherjee

"When writing for children and young people, the story is the heart of the matter. … Above all, the narrative, the story, has to be just right, and if it isn't then all those fine themes will be of no account."

Lene Kaaberbøl

Lene Kaaberbøl was born in 1960 in Copenhagen, Denmark. She began writing as soon as she was able to hold a pencil. Her parents encouraged her, and Kaaberbøl wrote many poems and stories, which were printed in children's magazines. She won her first monetary prize when she was just seven years old. By fifteen, she had published her first two children's novels, Den første bog om Tina og hestene [The First Book about Tina and the Horses] and Den anden bog om Tina og hestene [The Second Book about Tina and the Horses]. As she grew older, she was inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien and switched to fantasy writing.

Kaaberbøl engaged in a variety of occupations to support her writing. After completing a degree in English and Drama from Aarhus University in 1985, she worked as a high school teacher, copy writer, publishing editor, and eventually became the owner of Phabel & Plott Publishing. In 2002, she decided to become a fulltime writer.

What makes Kaaberbøl's storytelling so successful is her ability to speak to the moment we live in without underestimating her young readers. In The Shamer Chronicles, children have to engage in war and decide on the ethics of killing. Her books demonstrate how difficult it is to survive when leaders use propaganda and brute force to control people. While some of her characters have magical powers, others do not. Nevertheless, all of them experience the struggles of growing up and finding their identities. As they encounter threats, they learn the importance of being brave and using their strengths responsibly. One of the most crucial messages young readers can take away is that good and evil are not absolutes, and this is articulated by Clara in Kaaberbøl's Wildwich series who says, "Evil is not one big thing. It's a hundred small ones. It is not either-or. It's both-and."

Kaaberbøl's books have been translated into over thirty languages, and she has won many literary honors, including the Disney Novel of the Year Award, The Nordic Association of School Librarianship Children's Book Prize, and she made the UK's IBBY Honour List on two occasions. A feature film based on The Shamer Chronicles is presently under development. Currently, she lives in Sark, UK, where she continues to write for young adults between the ages of ten and fourteen.

Selected Publications

Salamanderens hjerte [The Salamander's Heart]. W.I.T.C.H Adventure Series. London: Tempo, 2002. Print.
Skammerens datter [The Shamer's Daughter]. Shamer Series. London: Hodder, 2002. Print.
Skyggeporten [Shadowgate]. Denmark: Phabel, 2006. Print.
Sølvhesten [Silverhorse]. Katriona Series. Denmark: Klematis, 1992. Print.
Vildheks 1: Ildpøven [Wildwitch 1: The Ordeal]. Wildwitch Series. Denmark: Alvilda, 2010. Print. [End Page 17]
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