20 years ago, Zilpha introduced me to the science-fiction and fantasy genre. She wrote for children and young adults, but she never wrote down to her audience. I always felt a little more grown up while reading her stories, and at the end I was always so moved and enlightened.

Yesterday, I decided to look up her Green Sky trilogy and found that they were no longer in print. I couldn’t believe it. How could they not be in print?

Green Sky is a world of giant trees, and telepathic people live among the treetops, the branches like roads, with ladders leading up to houses and temples nestled among the foliage. People traveled either by climbing up the ladders or gliding from branch to branch, wearing wing-like gliders attached to their arms and legs. Aside from all the wonder I experienced, these three books gave me another view of our own society and a very subtle message about how we treat people of other races, beliefs, and ways of life. Green Sky affected me that much.

So late last night, I wrote Zilpha an e-mail:

Dearest Zilpha Keatley Snyder,

I discovered your Green Sky series when I was about 11 or 12. I had the computer game “Below the Root” for my Apple IIc and liked the world of Green Sky so much that I searched for your books at the library. I was hooked by the first book, and after reading the last book in the trilogy I resorted to reading your other books, most notably Changeling, which in turn changed me.

Tonight, I discovered that I’d actually been reading you even earlier than that; I saw among your list of works that you also wrote Black and Blue Magic, which though it’s been at least 20 years since I’ve read that book still stands out in my mind.

So I searched for your books on Amazon, wanting so much to see the fantastic cover illustrations I remembered, and I found that they didn’t have art on some of your books and that, in fact, many of your books are no longer even in print. Not in print!

Now, why is that?! Why?

All of the reviews on Amazon are glowing. Anyone who has ever read your books loved them, and having given it some thought, I’m convinced that you’re even worlds better than J.K. Rowling—and you were around long before she was. You should be selling as many books as she is. I can’t be the only one who feels this way.

If you would let me, I’d like to contact a few publishers about getting your books back in print. Would that interest you? I’d really love for others to discover anew what I discovered years ago.

Always a fan,
April Martinez

Earlier today, I received an e-mail reply from Zilpha herself. I was both stunned and thrilled. So quick! So personal! I love her even more!

She liked my note and gave me the contact information of the publisher who still owns the rights to the Green Sky trilogy. As soon as I can grab the time this week, I will definitely write a note to the person in charge and ask that they print another edition of the series so other Green Sky fans and I can have copies of them on our bookshelves. I can see it now; either Keith Parkinson or Michael Whelan could do the cover art. [I’ve never even owned a Zilpha Keatley Snyder book, come to think of it; I always borrowed from the library.]

If anyone else out there loves Zilpha Keatley Snyder’s work, here is the info she gave me:

Chip Gibson
Random House Books for Children
1745 Broadway
New York City NY 10019

Please send a letter to Mr. Gibson, too. I doubt he will listen to just little ol’ me.

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