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Great Writers
Use our guides and recommendations to help you find the perfect book.
Click on a title to check the catalog for availability. View a printer-friendly list by clicking on the print icon below.
Barbara O'Connor
Although Barbara O'Connor has not written many books, when readers experience her novels, invariably they come back for more. Three of her novels are set in the South. A native of Greenville, South Carolina, her Southern voice shines through as she brings us characters who fight inner battles and dream small dreams of being unconditionally loved in a sometimes too real world.
Recommended Books:
Kimberly Willis Holt
Winner of the National Book Award 1999 for When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, Kimberly Willis Holt has written several novels for young people. They are all set in the South and most take place in small towns in which everyone knows everyone elses business. All have won awards and critical acclaim and introduce characters who grow emotionally as they discover who they are and what that means. Engaging and beautifully written, her novels are some of the best reads published in the last decade. For ages 10 and up.
Recommended Books:
Nancy Farmer
"Scar tissue had formed a knot on the bottom of his foot. He inspected the writing frequently - PROPERTY OF THE ALACRÃN ESTATE - but the scar had sliced through the lettering. It was more difficult to make out the words." From The House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
It is with the discovery of these words that Matt finds out that he is not simply a six-year old boy but the clone of an ancient patriarch who rules both the Alacrán estate and the country of Opium. In this sci-fi thriller, Nancy Farmer poses thoughtful questions about the morality of our advancing technology and what it truly means to be human.
And if science fiction isn't your genre, try one of Nancy Farmer's other novels. The subject matter and genre of her books vary widely:
Polly Horvath
One of the best novelists to write for young people during the last few years is Polly Horvath. Her funny characters with weird names, her wacky sense of humor, her hilarious dialogue, and her absolutely dry comedy make her the kind of author who readers return to again and again. Making her mark in the publishing world, Horvath brings a fresh and vivid voice to characters and situations we never forget. But most importantly, she brings us all closer to the human heart.
Virginia Lee Burton
Some of the most beloved picture books for young children were written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton. She was born in 1909 in Newton Center, Massachusetts and spent her childhood there and in Carmel, California. She studied at the California School of Fine Arts and the Demetrios School of Drawing and Sculpture in Boston. She had two sons and it was for them that she wrote her books.
Burton's books still appeal to children, even though they were written before many of their parents were even born. Her stories often tell of a machine or structure which overcomes an overwhelming task, leaving the reader full of suspense at what will happen. Her illustrations heighten the action as her lines circle and rush across the page.
Below is a list of her books which are still available at the library. Once read, they are never forgotten
Write On! The Lives of Children's Book Authors (December 2004)
Authors almost always have interesting lives, and authors who write books for children are no exception. They come from all over the world, suffer tragedy and experience joy, and some have lived in very interesting places. One author, Giselle Potter, tells her story in The Year I Didn't Go to School. When she was seven, instead of going to school, she spent the year traveling in Italy with her parents' theatre troupe. Well known Lois Lowry tells how she came up with the character Anastasia, and what life was like for her growing up in a small Pennsylvania town in Looking Back. Patricia McKissack tells the story of visiting a former president's house, reporting to adults that a rabbit and a mouse showed her around. They encourage her to write and use her wonderful imagination in Can You Imagine?
Recommended Books:
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