Biography of Beverly Cleary

Known as "A girl from Yamhill," reading about Beverly Cleary's life you might think it was one of her characters in a book. She has an interesting yet ironic story that many people can appreciate and relate to. Born in 1916, she grew up on a farm in Yamhill, Oregon. This town was so small it had no library and her mother arranged with the State Library to have books sent to them. Her mother acted as the local librarian and used a room on the second floor of the local bank as the library. When Beverly was six she moved to Portland and attended her first grammar school. However because she came from such a small farming community, she didn't have any schooling experience and found it hard to adjust to attending a classroom with 40 other students. Here she was put into a low reading circle and that is one of her reasons for writing books, to sympathize with struggling readers. She found the books available at that time didn't relate to children where she lived and often were only about English or Pioneer children. She wanted to read books about children like that in her neighborhood and everyday experiences. Once she got over her difficulty of reading by the 3rd grade, books became her passion. The book that really turned things around for her was The Dutch Twins, by Lucy Fitch Perkins. This is when she really learned to read for enjoyment but realized there still was a need for books about every day circumstances and children like those in her neighborhood.

With her dreams about becoming a writer, it was only fitting that she choose to attend college in California where many go to fulfill their dreams as well. As a young women "who was sure where she wanted to go but did not know if she could find the money to get there," she ended up attending a junior college in Ontario, California where she got her Associate of Arts degree. She continued on to graduate from the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in English. She then continued to pursue her dream and got a degree in librarianship at the University of Washington in Seattle. After completing this degree she got her first full time job as a librarian and ran into students that also were searching for the kind of books she was as a child. That prompted her to write her first book Henry Huggins, where the character of Ramona Quimby made a debut.

When asked in an interview what prompted her to write the character of Ramona Quimby she replied by saying it was accidental because when writing the Henry book, it occurred to her that all the children appeared to be only children, so she added a little sister. She had heard someone yelling the name Ramona out the window and that's how it started. Then she was inspired by a little girl that lived near Cleary who was considered rather impossible. Cleary has a memory of the little girl coming home from the grocery store and she has a pound of butter, which she had opened and was just eating it. Ramona appeals to many young readers because she is a normal and an imperfect everyday kid and according to Cleary doesn't learn to be a better girl.

She has won numerous awards for her books as well as received 35 state awards based directly on reader votes. She receives thousands of letters from her readers every year and that is how her Newbery Medal winner, Dear Mr. Henshaw was created. She received two letters from little boys, who didn't know one another, asking her to write about a boy whose parents were divorced and she decided to give it a try. Writing about a young boy going through his parents divorce, is another example of how Beverly Cleary writes about topics that relates to her readers and reaches such a large audience. Her books are available in over twenty countries and in fourteen different languages.

In honor on Beverly's birthday this year they choose her birthday to celebrate national D.E.A.R day.

But I HATE History!!!

Do you dread discussing the Civil War in Social Studies class? Do you detest having to memorize the numerous dates, eras, and periods of various events throughout our history? Do you sit around wondering who had the hair-brained idea to name the Great Depression after the word "great", when it wasn't really great at all?! If you share in my loathing of all things "history", then have I got an author for you!

Patricia McKissack. That's her name. Plain and simply an author that will change your mind about what you think about history.

Patricia McKissack will make history come alive for you! This Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author does this by writing about real historic events, but as seen through the eyes of fictional characters. This genre is called historical fiction. When reading historical fiction, we get to walk alongside the main character through any trials and tribulations they may face, which is much different than just reading about historical events and the infamous names of those who took part in them.

Patricia McKissack was born Patricia L'Ann Carwell in the southern town of Smyrna, Tennessee on August 9, 1944. Her family moved North to St. Louis, Missouri shortly after her birth, which is where she spent the early part of her growing-up years. When Patricia was twelve, she moved back to Tennessee and developed a very close friendship with a boy named Fredrick McKissack who, many years later, would become her husband. Patricia and Fredrick attended Tennessee State University in Nashville together, and married the same year that Patricia graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1964. Patricia enjoyed a career as a teacher for several years before returning to St. Louis, now a mother of three, with her husband and sons to further her education at Webster University. She received her Masters in Early Childhood Literature and Media Programming in 1975. Patricia then switched careers and became an editor of children's books. She liked what she did for a living, but she wanted something more. Patricia's husband Fredrick knew this about his wife, so one day, as the two of them sat alone in their car, he asked her: "If you could do anything you wanted in this whole wide world for the rest of your life, what would you do?". Patricia answered: "Write books." And from that point on, with the help of her husband, that is exactly what she did. Patricia quit her editing job and her husband Fredrick quit his job as an engineer in order to pursue a writing partnership that has produced nearly 100 books....and counting!

Books with an African-American Focus

One of the primary reasons that Patricia desired to become an author of children's literature was because she felt that there was such a limited amount of material available to children that discussed the African American culture or their contributions to society. Both she and her husband, who grew up during the Civil Rights Era, sought "to enlighten, to change attitudes, to set goals - to build bridges with books." Though Patricia has relied on her own memories for some of the material of her books, she also thoroughly researches her books before writing them so that the material will be as authentic as possible. For example, with her book Christmas in the Big House, Christmas in the Quarters, Patricia and Fredrick McKissack traveled to Virginia for their research of a real plantation for this story that is set on an 1859 Virginia plantation. Patricia has actually seen the slave quarters that she describes in the book, and because of this, it becomes all the more "real" to the reader as well. Before writing fictional books, Patricia wrote mostly non-fiction books and biographies. She often tackled "controversial topics, such as racism", but did so in a way that invited all readers, regardless of their cultural background, to read (and to learn). And though her original goal was to produce writing that introduced children to "African and African American history and historical figures", Patricia has since branched out to writing the accounts of some Native-American tribes, as well as also writing about the Holocaust.

Patricia McKissack really is an author worth getting to know. Following this bio will be a critical analysis of two books that I have selected: Run Away Home and A Friendship for Today.

Click here to visit Patricia and Fredrick McKissack's Biography Writer's Workshop. This site will not only teach you how to research and write a biography, but will show you how to publish it!

Critical Analysis: Patricia McKissack

African American families; feelings of hope and unity; racial prejudice; characters who overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles -- these are some of the themes you will find in almost any given novel by Patricia McKissack. Written primarily for audiences ages 10-14 years old, Patricia develops her characters so that readers will be able to relate to them almost as well as they might relate to a friend at school. You will root for these characters along every step of their journey, and in doing so, you will learn the true meaning of perseverance and self-pride -- attributes that all children should have in bounty.

A Tale of Two Books
The following is an analysis of two of Ms. McKissack's books: Run Away Home, published in 1997, and A Friendship for Today, published ten years later in 2007. Though each book is set in a different time period, they both center around a main character who is preteen and female. In Run Away Home, the story takes place in rural Alabama, 1888. The main themes in this book are respect for cultural differences, family unity and perseverance. McKissack pulls from her own African American and Native American ancestry to write a book that discusses the little-known relationship between these two cultures during a period in time when both cultures were being treated deplorably by the racist, Southern-white majority. In Run Away Home, we meet Sarah Crossman, who is an eleven-year old only child who adores her parents, her simple lifestyle, and her dog Buster. However, Sarah gets much more than she bargained for when she and her mother rescue a very sick runaway Apache boy whom Sarah had witnessed escaping from the train that runs through her town. What follows is a heartwarming story about how two children from very different cultures learn to respect and trust one another so deeply, despite their differences, that they become brother and sister in all ways other than blood. Though this is the human aspect of McKissack's novel, she is meanwhile teaching her readers about the important historical events that were occurring during this time period. African Americans had only recently been freed in the South, and most faced danger and death at almost every turn. The white Supremacist group, Knights of the Southern Order, was terrorizing men who attempted to vote, threatening families who were trying to better themselves financially, and burning down the homes of African Americans who tried to stand up against them. Even though this book deals with a lot of painful history, it is important that these stories still be told. McKissack addresses the issues eloquently by telling the story through the eyes of an innocent child.

In A Friendship for Today, the setting is now Kirkland, Missouri, "a town just outside of St. Louis" in 1954. The Supreme Court has just ordered that all schools be desegregated based on the landmark decision in Brown vs. Board of Education. The major themes in this book are personal character, friendship, and racial prejudice. In this novel, the main character is now twelve-year-old Rosemary Patterson. The story begins with Rosemary and her best friend J.J. having just completed the fifth grade at an all-black school that will be closing its doors forever. Of their whole class, only Rosemary and J.J. will be attending the brand new Robertson Elementary School. Though the idea of going to an all-white school next year is very scary to Rosemary, she feels a lot better because she will be doing it right alongside her best friend in the whole wide world. Then tragedy strikes, forcing Rosemary to desegregate Robertson all by herself! Patricia McKissack artfully tells the story of a young girl who has an incredible responsibility placed upon her shoulders -- to change history. Along with historical events, this book (similar to Run Away Home) deals with several relationship themes as well. Rosemary faces the imminent divorce of her parents and feels as though her father no longer loves her. Rosemary worries about betraying her best friend J.J. by developing new friendships with some of the "white girls" at school. Life has suddenly gotten difficult for a young girl to whom most things, like the A's on her report cards and beating even the fastest boys in a race, has always come easy. Readers take Rosemary's journey of hardship and self-discovery right along with her. We feel her discomfort from being assigned to a building full of people who are different from her, many of whom don't want her there at all. We feel her anger and frustration when people call Rosemary by racial slurs. We feel her pride when she displays courage in both her words and actions. This book is about protecting one's own good character by treating everyone with respect, regardless of whether or not they show the same in return.

There are several similarities and differences that can be addressed with regard to each of the described novels. Both books focus on characters who have a strong sense of who they are, which certainly helps them in overcoming the many obstacles they have to face. These characters are also very open-minded, allowing them to form strong, supportive bonds with people who they'd considered "different" from themselves, only to discover that they weren't so different after all. Also contained in both books is a strong connection to African American culture, such as through the frequent discussion of superstition -- a common theme found in African American literature, and language that reflects the distinct vernacular of the particular time and place described within each novel. Both of these novels put a strong emphasis onto character description, making it easy for readers to visualize the different players within each of the stories. There are also distinct differences between the two novels. One such difference would be that of the social class of the main character. In Run Away Home, Sarah's family is very poor; they are barely able to make ends meet and are in danger of losing their farm. After experiencing a failed crop, much of the plot involves Papa trying to save the family home from being taken over by the racist whites in town. In A Friendship for Today, however, Rosemary's family could be described as middle class. They live in a nice home; both of Rosemary's parents are self-employed and running successful businesses. There is no discussion of financial hardship within Rosemary's family throughout the book. Despite such class differences, though, many of the issues faced by each of the main characters are similar: racial discrimination, fear for safety, and injustice. Another noteable difference between the two novels is the amount of power that each of the main characters realistically has to fight against the unfair treatment they are experiencing. In Run Away Home, Sarah and her family have incredible limitations placed upon what they can say and do to speak out, because doing so might cause the family to be physically hurt or killed. In A Friendship for Today, Rosemary has a great deal more freedom to speak up for herself without fearing for her life, as the times are much different. When discussing these differences, it becomes obvious that author Patricia McKissack has put an enormous amount of effort into researching the historical materal that is the basis of her fictional novels. It is extremely important to her that she accurately reflect the true attitudes and realistic dangers for African Americans during those respective time periods.

Each of these novels will provide readers some insight into what it might have been like to live during these time periods. Much like a movie, we can live vicariously through these characters to see what they saw and feel how they felt. Only the very best authors can do that, and Patricia McKissack is certainly one of those authors! Now...let's get to reading!

* For Some Extra Fun: After reading some of Patricia McKissack's books, test your knowledge about the author herself, and about some of the material from her many novels by clicking on this link.

Critical Analysis of Lauren Child

What initially drew me to Lauren Child's books was definitely her signature collage style artwork and mesmerizing illustrations. They captivated me from the moment I opened the book. Then I was introduced to the main characters, Charlie and Lola. These endearing characters create an instant connection with their readers because they are such real, funny, and lovable kids.

But Excuse Me That is My Book

Have you ever looked forward to something so much only to realize it is all sold out or no longer available? At the library, Lola just HAS to get Beetles, Bugs , and Butterflies, her most favorite book in the whole world. She looks and looks and is left to discover the unthinkable- it's not there! Lola is beside herself. How could this happen? Beetles, Bugs, and Butterflies is Lola's book and more importantly, what does she do now? In a hysterically funny and thoughtful way, Charlie helps his little sister Lola discover that there are many more wonderful books just waiting for Lola to discover at the library. After all, what are big brothers for?

Snow Is My Favorite and My Best

Can your really have to much of a good thing? In Snow Is My Favorite and My Best, Lola learns this lesson first hand, along with a little help from her big brother, Charlie. When the weatherman predicts snow, Lola absolutely cannot wait. Snow means sledding, and snow angels, and snow doggies, and hot chocolate. Snow is Lola's favorite thing. She wonders, "wouldn't it be great to have snow all the time?"

In Snow Is My Favorite and My Best you'll join Charlie and Lola in the Arctic and Antarctic as they meet some new furry friends. Charlie helps Lola discover that while snow is very fun, having it all the time might get a bit old.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book

This is a story about a little boy named Herb. Herb liked reading, but he Loved reading storybooks. He wasn't a very good reader, but it didn't matter because he could tell a lot from the pictures. One night, Herb couldn't find any of his picture books and the only book he managed to find was a book of fairy tales. In this book, Lauren Child takes her own creative and unique twist on the everyday fairy tale.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading each Lauren's books. They are each very similar in that, she incorporates characters that all children can really relate to. Personally, I believe that this a major component to what makes Lauren such a successful writer. She is clearly in tuned with her audience and how to reach them. Just like in the simple fairy tales we all have known and grown up with, Lauren writes about life lessons that can be found in each of her books. Whether the lesson is trying something new, or appreciating what you have, Lauren is undeniably very creative in presenting these idea's through her stories.

What sets Lauren apart from other children's writers is her illustrations. She has become famous for using many different mediums including magazine cuttings, collage material, photography, as well as traditional watercolors. Her illustrations can be considered a work of art.

Lauren Child has revamped traditional children's books. I have very much enjoyed learning about her as an author and getting to know her endearing characters. She is writer you should know!

Biography of Judy Blume

"When I was growing up, I dreamed about becoming a cowgirl, a detective, a spy, a great actress or a ballerina. Not a dentist, like my father, or a homemaker, like my mother---certainly not a writer, although I always loved to read. I didn't know anything about writers. It never occurred to me that they were regular people and that I could grow up to become one, even though I loved to make up stories inside my head."

Today Judy Blume remains one of the most prolific authors of children's books in America. Her books have sold over 75 million copies and translated into twenty different languages. To her writing credit, she holds in excess of ninety awards including the prestigious Margaret A. Edwards award for Lifetime Achievement. It is, perhaps, for this reason, that people find it odd to hear Judy Blume speak of growing up to become a ballerina, and that of all things in her life, becoming a writer, was the ultimate surprise.

Born an initially shy Aquarius with a love for the color purple, Judy Blume grew up in Elizabeth town, New Jersey. As a child, Judy thought nothing of creating intricate characters and stories in her head. She confesses, however, that until the time is uniquely right, she does not introduce a single character or plot line to the page.

My characters live inside my head for a long time before I actually start to write a book about them. Then, they become so real to me I talk about them at the dinner table as if they are real. Some people consider this weird. But my family understands."

Judy went on to attend New York University. It was there that Judy met her first husband John M. Blume, and the two were married in 1959 while Judy was in her junior year of college. She graduated from New York University in 1961 with a B.S. in Education and the couple celebrated with the arrival of their first child, their daughter, Randy. The couple went on to have a son, Lawrence, before divorcing in 1975. Judy's second marraige to Thomas Kitchen a year later also resulted in divorce in 1978. She did not remarry again until 1987, when she met non-fiction writer George Cooper. The couple have three children between them, to include a step-daughter, Amanda.

It was during the years her children were old enough to attend pre-school that Judy began her early attempts at writing, and subsequently publishing. In an effort to ease her frustrations and fears over a rejection period of two years, Judy enrolled in writing courses at New York University. It was during this time, a period stretching over the course of two semesters, that Judy seemed to find her niche. She had some publishing success with magazines, wrote the early drafts of a book that would be known as Iggie's House, and at the age of twenty seven, published her first book: The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo. This marked the beginning of a highly successful career in writing, leading to future publications of over 21 books, an adoringly diverse fan base and a lifetime in the limelight.

To critics and readers alike, a key, contributing attribute that ensures Judy Blume's career longevity, has always been her remarkable authenticity. Whether through the voice of a main character experiencing puberty or referring to her own motivations to begin writing at twenty seven----the result has always been a candid, uncensored snapshot, of her thoughts and emotions. One such example can be seen in this excerpt of an interview with Arts Correspondent Jeffrey Brown in 2004, where Judy's powerful authenticity to say what many experience and few voice, appeared to leave him a bit surprised.

Judy: The voice in my head was the voice of a child, and the voice that came out spontaneously on paper was the voice of a child. And also I think, because at 27, when I really started to write, I felt that life was over for me. I had made my...

Jeffrey Brown: Over for you?

Judy: Over. I had made my choices. I married very young. I had my children, as we did then. And this was going to be it. I didn't know that there were any opportunities around the corner. You know, I mean, it...

Jeffrey Brown: You mean, you felt trapped.

Judy: Well, yes, I guess I did feel trapped. But I thought...looking back, that was the life that interested me, the child that I was when it seemed that everything was still possible, everything was new and exciting, everything was a first.

Jeffrey Brown: And then writing became a way to a new life?

Judy: It certainly did. What I remember when I started to write was how I couldn't wait to get up in the morning to get to my characters. And I just went from book to book to book because it...it gave me my life, again. It gave me my inner life, that connection that I had lost.

It is this connection to children, and to those issues for which she lends a voice, for which she has received widespread praise, and the merciless scrutiny of many a critic. She has been the target of many censorship efforts, aimed largely at restricting child access to books such as: Forever and Are you there God? It's Me Margaret, in which the characters deal with issues related to both puberty and sexuality.

Mark Oppenheimer, in his article for the NY Times Book Review, states his belief that the issues Blume explores in her books, can perhaps hit too close to home in the classroom, and therefore, are preferably avoided altogether. In his article, he recounts his own childhood reading experiences.

"Usually, in the world of children's literature, the same books are successful with readers, teachers and critics: think of E. B. White, Madeleine L'Engle, E. L. Konigsberg or Scott O'Dell. The committees that select the winners of the Newbery Medals are composed of librarians. Their awards are trusted, prompting teachers to assign the books to their fifth graders, who obligingly read and like them. From fourth through sixth grades, I was assigned O'Dell's ''Island of the Blue Dolphins'' three times and was made to read each volume of L'Engle's ''Time'' trilogy. No teacher ever assigned Judy Blume. "

Despite such obstacles, however, Judy Blume has managed to successfully stand the test of time. Today she lends a voice to the National Coalition Against Censorship, working to protect intellectual freedom. The span of Judy Blume's career has honored her with the title(s) of writer, activist, wife, mother, grandmother and inspiration to children everywhere.

"Dear Judy,

My mom never talks about the things young girls think most about. She doesn't know how I feel. I don't know where I stand in the world. I don't know who I am. That's why I read, to find myself." Letter from Elizabeth/Reader/Age 13

Judy Blume: "...And Elizabeth is the reason that I keep writing."

Critical Analysis of Gary Paulsen

Youthful summers away from home doing chores on farms, construction work, truck driver, and two rounds of the Iditarod (the Alaskan dog sled race); provided Gary Paulsen with sufficient material to write powerful stories. Paulsen has a way of intertwining his real life experiences into his novels. Allowing the reader to experience first hand his accounts of self discovery through adventure and conflict.

Lawn Boy is Gary Paulsen’s newest book, published earlier this year. This book is about a teen boy’s needs for a new tire for his bike. He decides to use the old lawnmower that his Grandmother gave him for his birthday to start mowing lawns. Along the way he accepts the help of Arnold, a stockbroker, who takes care of the money and invests it in many things including a prizefighter named Joey Pow. This is when his summer gets interesting.

Harris and Me is also about a young boy and how he spends his summer vacation. In this novel a young boy is sent to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm. This boy has lived many places over the years, due to his parents drinking, but nothing quite like farm life. Harris and his cousin spend their days wrestling pigs, catching mice, and jumping from the barn, and if they can survive they might just make it through the summer.

One way that Paulsen is able to give the reader this first hand experience in both of these novels is that he allows the reader to become the main character. Both of these books, written 13 years apart, have a nameless main character, something unusual for Gary Paulsen and his writing. These nameless characters allows the reader to jump in and experience exactly what that character is going through. At one point during Lawn Boy, the young boy is confronted by a competing lawn care company and Gary writes in such a way that you feel uncomfortable when the situation escalates and Joe Pow confronts them. The same is true in Harris and Me when you feel the excitement when Harris and his cousin are playing war and start to wrestle the pigs. Gary creates these characters that you feel connected to because you are reading it through their point of view.

Even though these two books share commonalities among them, the characters and themes are very different. In Lawn Boy we live the life of a young suburban boy with stable parents who simply spends his time mowing lawns and becomes wealthy because of his investments. In Harris and Me we get to examine the life of a young boy who does not have very stable parents and spends the summer using his imagination to build a bond with his cousin Harris. Although both characters have lived very different lives you are still able to feel for each of them. At points in both novels you find yourself deeply drawn to each character and truly care about them. In Lawn Boy you learn how one young boy invests his money to create a more comfortable life at home. His discovery is one of business sense and the accomplishment of starting something from nothing. The same is not true in Harris and Me, where Harris’s cousin finds a sense of self and is able to form an actual connection with another person. His investment is personal and he finds something inside himself that he has never felt before. This connection is something that is missing in his life and he greatly appreciates what Harris and his family has done for him.

The other major difference that you can pick up through these two novels is the backdrop. In one novel you see how the setting creates the experience and in the other you need to use your imagination to create a life of your own. In Harris and Me you are transported to the country life of living on a farm, and watching movies in the backroom of a bar. Although Harris and his family live comfortably, they have very little experience in life outside of their little community. Lawn Boy takes place in a suburban town where the boy lives comfortable but feels the need to help his parents out by making money to help pay bills. The experiences in Lawn Boy are created by this backdrop of the suburban neighborhood and how a boy can seek adventure and conflict in unexpected places. On the other hand, Harris and Me, examines the same themes but the experiences are true for what life is like in a small farming community. There is no money to be made its about a simple life and using your imagination to create the experiences that will last a lifetime. Both of these boys will remember there completely different summers for the rest of their lives.

Gary Paulsen’s unstable childhood coupled with his sense of adventure have created a great foundation for incredible novels for young readers. As evident in Lawn Boy and Harris and Me you are able to see that sense of real life experiences intertwined with the journey of two young boys to build bonds and find their way. It took many different circumstances for Gary to find his way to writing and he shares that experience with his readers in his novels. If your looking for a wonderful rags to riches story with plenty of humor and colorful characters then Lawn Boy is for you. If you want to experience adventures as wild as boyhood imaginations and a heartwarming story then you might want to read Harris and Me. However, would we even be able to experience either of these novels if it wasn’t for a librarian offering one simple card to a boy who was seeking some warmth?

Hey, who is this peanut head little boy?

Well, it is Christopher Paul Curtis,
Winner of both the Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Medal.