Biography
Virginia Esther Hamilton (March 12, 1936 – February 19, 2002) was an American children's books author. She wrote 41 books, including M. C. Higgins, the Great (1974), for which she won the U.S. National Book Award in category Children's Books
and the Newbery Medal in 1975.Hamilton's lifetime achievements include the international Hans Christian Andersen Award for writing children's literature in 1992 and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her contributions to American children's literature in 1995. Hamilton's family encouraged her to read and write widely. She received a full scholarship to Antioch College but later transferred to Ohio State University.
She met poet Arnold Adoff while living in New York City, and married him in 1960. The two later returned with their children to live on the farm where Hamilton was raised. Adoff supported the family by working as a teacher, so Hamilton spent her time writing and had two children.
In 1967, Zeely was published, the first of more than 40 books. Zeely was named an American Library Association Notable Book and won the Nancy Bloch Award. Hamilton published The Planet of Junior Brown, which was named a Newbery Honor Book and also won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1971. M. C. Higgins, the Great (1974) won the Newbery Medal, making Hamilton the first black author to receive the medal. The book also won the National Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and The New York Times Outstanding Children's Book of the Year.
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Known ForWriting
GenderFemale
Birthday1936-03-12
Deathday2002-02-19 (65 years old)
Birth PlaceYellow Springs, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
AwardsMacArthur Fellows Program, Edgar Awards, Ohio Women's Hall of Fame, Coretta Scott King Award, Regina Medal, Gustav-Heinemann-Friedenspreis für Kinder- und Jugendbücher, Newbery Medal, Children's Literature Legacy Award, Hans Christian Andersen Award
This article uses material from Wikipedia.
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