Levy, Robert 1945-

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LEVY, Robert 1945-

PERSONAL: Born July 11, 1945, in Mussoorie, IN; son of Walter and Grete (Losch) Levy; married Ilsa Karger (a teacher). Education: University of Tampa, B.A., 1968; City University of New York, Hunter College, M.A., 1974, Brooklyn College, advanced certificate in education, 1977.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Houghton Mifflin, 222 Berkeley, MA 02116-3764.

CAREER: Writer and educator. New York Board of Education, New York, NY, teacher and computer coordinator, 1968—.

AWARDS, HONORS: Texas Lone Star Reading List citation, for Escape from Exile, 1995.

WRITINGS:

YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

Escape from Exile, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1993.

Clan of the Shape-Changers, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1994.

The Misfit Apprentice, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Magic Key, a fantasy adventure novel for young children.

SIDELIGHTS: Science-fiction writer Robert Levy once told CA that he has been "in love with fantasy ever since reading J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings." Making up his own worlds and telling his own stories fostered his talent for writing: "When my nieces were little, I made up stories for them about Martha Tooth Faerie and Horace the Belly Button Monster. By imagining that I'm just telling a longer story to them or to the sixth-grade students I teach, I sit in front of my Mac and wait. If I'm lucky, a character pops into my head and tells me his or her adventure. All I do is write what I'm told."

The story in Escape from Exile begins as Daniel Taylor works his way home through a blizzard. When a bolt of lightning hits the thirteen year old, he is knocked unconscious and wakes to find himself in a world destroyed by civil war. He soon finds that his survival depends on the help of the feline animals—the "samkits"—that have befriended him. Mentally communicating with Daniel, the samkits manage to get him to help them as well and save Queen Lauren from Resson, the evil man who keeps her from her throne. In the end, Daniel again loses consciousness and wakes to find himself near home. Li Stark of School Library Journal wrote that the "story is well paced, with some nice touches of humor." A Publishers Weekly reviewer called Escape from Exile a "wellfounded fantasy with abundant action."

In Clan of the Shape-Changers sixteen-year-old Susan has the ability to change her shape to that of an animal. When Ometerer, the ruler of Reune, begins searching for those with green eyes and the shape-changing power, Susan and her wolf, Farrun, flee her village. As she travels, Susan rescues a twelve-year-old boy who, unlike herself, can't control his power to change his shape. Together they challenge Ometerer's plans by attempting to save the people of their green-eyed clan. Noting the book's "solid premise" and "exciting action," Voice of Youth Advocates reviewer Wendy E. Betts commented that Clan of the Shape-Changers is "an improvement over Levy's first book." Susan L. Rogers wrote in School Library Journal that "there is much more to be explained about this interesting planet and its inhabitants." In the opinion of Booklist contributor Chris Sherman, the "suspense" in Clan of the Shape-Changers "builds steadily to a dangerous climax that will satisfy fantasy and adventure lovers."

Levy also wrote a companion book to Clan of the Shape-Changers titled The Misfit Apprentice. This third novel follows the adventures of Maria, a magician's apprentice who, because she is unable to control her magic, must seek her fortune in some other line of work. During her ensuing travels, Maria meets a mute boy named Tristan. Along with a catlike being named Jerrold, they embark on a journey to steal magical scrolls from a nearby country, defeating a malicious king in the process. "In this well-crafted fantasyadventure, magic becomes a real and believable force," Chris Sherman commented in Booklist.

In all of his novels, Levy demonstrates a strong affection for fantasy and adventure stories and for the characters who inhabit his imaginative lands. As he once told CA, the "values I hold—people having a sense of honor, caring for the land they live on and the animals they share the land with—appear in my characters and help them come alive in my own mind."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 1, 1994, Chris Sherman, review of Clan of the Shape-Changers, p. 1436; August, 1995, Chris Sherman, review of The Misfit Apprentice, pp. 1940-1941; November 1, 1997, review of Clan of the Shape-Changers, p. 475.

Book Report, September-October, 1994, Susan Martin, review of Clan of the Shape-Changers, p. 40.

Horn Book Guide, fall, 1993, p. 301.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 1994, p. 398.

Publishers Weekly, April 12, 1993, p. 64.

School Library Journal, May, 1993, p. 106; May, 1994, Susan L. Rogers, review of Clan of the Shape-Changers, p. 128; April, 1995, Patricia A. Dollisch, review of The Misfit Apprentice, p. 154.

Voice of Youth Advocates, August, 1993, pp. 166-167; June, 1994, pp. 99-100.*