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Photos of our speaker taken at the June meeting (by Hunter Anderson and Al Villaire)
Marilyn Sachs - Bio-
Books
Talent is easy - persistence is hard. Prominent
children's
author, Marilyn Sachs knows about persistence - it took her 10 years to
get her first book, Amy Moves In, written and published.
Since
that first sale, she usually has more than one book in the pipeline,
with
JoJo
& Winnie
Again expected to be available later this year.
Sachs draws on her childhood for her diverse
characters,
noting, "I was born in the Bronx. The streets I lived on had no trees
or
flowers, but they had children - lots and lots of children."
Drawing
from her bottomless well of personalities, she expects to have no
difficulty
continuing to
create in the future.
Throughout her childhood, she wrote and read constantly. After graduation from Hunter College, Sachs continued her love affair with books as a children's librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library. Her backlist of writing awards includes the New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year ('87), Parent's Choice Award ('87), New York Public Library 100 Titles for Sharing ('83) and her books fill the shelves of well-read children.
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Web sites for Marilyn Sachs -
Backprint.com
Short-short bio + descriptions of four books.
NYU
The Fat Girl - review.
Carolhurst.com
At the Sound of the Beep - review.
Penguin-Putnam
Short-short bio + book descriptions.
Concord
k12 Descriptions of three books.
Barnes&Noble
Sixteen entries here - many w/ synopses.
Amazon.com
Seventy-four entries.
Borders
Books Ninety-six entries.
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"I was born in The Bronx, one of the least celebrated boroughs of
New
York City. The street I lived on had no trees
or flowers, but it had children-lots and lots of children. The street
didn't go anywhere important, and cars seldom came
through. In the summertime, it was frequently closed to traffic.
"Every day after school, and all day Saturday and Sunday, the
children
spilled out of the tall apartment houses that ran
down the block, and filled the empty spaces on the street and
sidewalks.
Something was always going on outside. Our
family was poor, but so was everybody else on the street. We children
played hard, and as we grew older, roamed
confidently through other parts of the city.
"The only fly in the ointment was that I was a shameful coward.
Small,
skinny, and a crybaby, I was easy prey for the
local bullies. My lack of courage was particularly disgusting to my
older sister, who frequently had to fight my battles for
me in order to uphold the family honor. How I admired her! She was
the one who introduced me to books. On cold, wet
days, or on days when somebody or other was after me, I stayed home
or went to the library. My books brought me such
comfort (and still do) that I determined quite early to be a writer.
I have been writing just as long as I have been
reading. To me, the two go hand in hand.
"I wrote all through elementary school, high school, and college. I
worked on school newspapers and magazines. But
when I graduated from Hunter College in 1949, 1 didn't seem to have
much to write about. So I took a job with the
Brooklyn Public Library as children's librarian, went to Columbia
University
for my master's degree in library science,
and spent ten happy years working with children's books.
"During this time, I wrote my first book, Amy Moves In. It took ten
long years before it was published. Since then, I have
had many other books published and am usually working on one at any
given time.
"My own childhood shapes my books. Growing up in a poor, urban
neighborhood,
I missed out on trees, and birds, and
babbling brooks. But I had people - so many people - fat ones, skinny
ones, mean ones, friendly ones, smart ones, scared
ones.. .They all lived on my block, and they are with me when I write
my books. They push and shove each other and
shout, 'I'm next! Look at me!' I doubt if I will ever in one lifetime
get around to all of them.
"I have two grown-up children and live in San Francisco now with my husband."
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MIDDLE GRADE BOOKS
Ghosts in the Family (1995)
What My Sister Remembered (1992)
At the Sound of the Beep (1990)
Matt's Mitt and Fleet-Footed Florence (1989)
Almost Fifteen (1987)
IRA-CBC Children's Choice
The Bears' House (1987)
Austrian Children's Book Prize
National Book Award Nominee
The New York Times, Outstanding Books of the
Year
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
Fran Ellen's House (1987) illustrated by Charles Robinson
Parents' Choice Award Final Selection
ALA Notable Children's Book
IRA-CBC Children's Choice
Fourteen (1983)
New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading
and Sharing
Child Study Association Children's Books of
the Year
NOVELS
Thirteen Going on Seven (1993)
Circles (1991)
American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
Just Like a Friend (1989)
Thunderbird (1985) illustrated by Jim Spence
YASD Recommended Book for the Reluctant Reader
The Fat Girl (1984)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
FOR ALL AGES
The Big Book for Peace (1990) edited by Marilyn Sachs and Ann Durell
NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in
the Field of Social Studies
American Bookseller Pick of the Lists
ALA Notable Children's Book
Child Study Association Books of the Year
IRA-CBC Teachers' Choice
Jane Addams Children's Book Award
ABC Choices for 1991
PUFFIN NOVELS
A Pocket Full of Seeds (1994)
Jane Addams Children's Book Honor Award
The New York Times, Outstanding Books of the
Year (1973)
ALA Notable Children's Book
The Truth About Mary Rose (Spring 1995)
Silver State Pencil Award
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Veronica Ganz (1994)
ALA Notable Children's Book
NEWER BOOKS
Another Day (1997)
The Surprise Party (1998)
Jojo & Winnie : Sister Stories (1999)
Jojo & Winnie Again : More Sister Stories (2000)
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