📘 Who Was Jane Austen

Words by Sarah Fabiny

Genre/Category:

• 1 informational or biography**

Target Age Group: Ages 10-13

Format Read: Physical Copy

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🌀 Plot Summary (1–2 Sentences)

This book tells the life story of Jane Austen in chronological order, from her childhood and early love of reading to her journey as a writer and her enduring legacy. It highlights the societal challenges of her time and how she found her voice through storytelling, even long after her passing.

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✅ Why I Chose This Book

I chose this book because the Who Was...? series, often referred to as the "big head series" at our library, is extremely popular with young readers. I wanted to read one for myself to evaluate how informational and accurate they are. It also fulfilled the requirement of selecting a biography or informational text. Since I’ve always enjoyed Jane Austen’s novels, I was especially interested in learning more about her life.

🔍 Evaluation

1. Style and Language
I appreciated the simple and approachable language. Many biographies tend to use dense vocabulary or have a dry, factual tone, but this book felt more like a narrative. While still factual, it read like a story, making it much easier for children to follow and enjoy.

2. Chronology/Pace

One strength of this book is how clearly it presents Jane Austen’s life in chronological order. It begins with her childhood, explores the events and experiences that shaped her, and continues through her adulthood and even her legacy after death. This structure makes it easier for young readers to connect the dots and understand how her early life influenced her work.

3. Character
I chose Jane Austen because I genuinely enjoy her novels and wanted to know more about the person behind them. I was especially fascinated by the contrast between her personal life and the romantic stories she wrote. The fact that she never found true love yet wrote one of the most iconic love stories in Pride and Prejudice is remarkable. The book does a great job of showing how down-to-earth, witty, and determined she was.

4. Illustrations

The black-and-white illustrations throughout the book provide visual breaks and help bring key moments to life. They support the text without overwhelming it, and young readers will appreciate the added context the drawings provide, especially when imagining life in the 1700s and 1800s.

 

📚 Reference

​Fabiny, S. (2015). Who was Jane Austen? (G. Copeland, Illus.). Penguin Workshop.

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