District 181 Schools Welcome Author Marianne Malone

Prospect, Oak and Walker Schools recently welcomed author Marianne Malone to their schools to speak with students about her book "The Sixty-Eight Rooms." The novel was the “One School, One Book” title each building featured this year. Parents were encouraged to read the story at home along with their children. In the book, two children find a magic key and are able to shrink down to enter the miniature Thorne Rooms in the Art Institute of Chicago. As noted on the Art Institute website, the exhibit “enable[s] one to glimpse elements of European interiors from the late 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s. Painstakingly constructed on a scale of one inch to one foot, these fascinating models were conceived by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago and constructed between 1932 and 1940 by master craftsmen according to her specifications.” 

Malone spoke to students about her background as an artist and art teacher, recalling that she often created stories in her imagination about the people and animals she drew and painted. As early as she can remember, Malone says she enjoyed making dollhouse furniture after seeing the Thorne Rooms for the first time. She later became an avid reader, though didn’t become a writer until her 40s. Malone told students, “You’re never too old or too young to start writing.”

For more information about Marianne Malone, an Illinois native and resident, visit www.mariannemalone.com.