A poem by Jane Yolen in remembrance of her friend Norton Juster (1929-2021):

So, the unexpected,
which he always expected,
happened when he had lost
the ability to expect anything at all.
At the same time he became a phantom,
he became a father to us all.
If there is justice in the world,
it comes with laughter,
and no tolls.

Others will miss your stories.
I will miss your smiles,
so full of compassion
and self-knowledge,
I knew you were
the vector of the universe.
We just hadn’t all
appreciated that until you left
on your last road trip,
hand in hand with Milo.
who looks a lot like you now,
all grown up, when no one was watching.

–Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen receives the 2009 Norton Juster Award for Devotion to Literacy, presented by its namesake. Photo: Seth Kaye Photography.

Jane Yolen just published Bear Outside, her four hundredth book.