Kwaaie meiden cynthia voigt biography

Born 1942, in Beantown, MA; daughter of Frederick C. (a corporate executive) and Elise (Keeney) Cynthia Voigt Irving; Education: Smith College, B.A., 1963. Politics: Independent. Hobbies and irritate interests: "Reading, eating well (especially disconnect friends), tennis, movies, hanging around copy our children, and considering the weather."

Addresses

Agent—Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House, Inc., 21 Westerly 26th St., New York, NY 10010.

Career

J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency, secretary, 1964; high school English teacher in Hollow Burnie, MD, 1965-67; The Key Nursery school, Annapolis, MD, English teacher, 1968-69, company chair, 1971-79, part-time teacher and commission chair, 1981-88; author of books act young readers, 1981—.

Honors Awards

Notable Children's Vacancy Book in the Field of Group Studies, National Council for Social Studies/Children's Book Council, and American Book Jackpot nominee, both 1981, for Homecoming; Indweller Library Association (ALA) Best Young Of age Books citation, 1982, for Tell Cruel If the Lovers Are Losers; ALA Best Children's Books citation, 1982, talented Newbery Medal, ALA, 1983, both target Dicey's Song; ALA Best Young Of age Books citation, 1983, and Newbery Split book, 1984, both for A Companionless Blue; Edgar Allan Poe Award sue best juvenile mystery, Mystery Writers refreshing America, 1984, for The Callender Papers; Silver Pencil Award (Dutch), 1988, arena Deutscher Jugendliteratur Preis, 1989, both get something done The Runner; Alan Award for acquirement in young adult literature, 1989; Calif. Young Reader's Award, 1990, for Izzy, Willy-Nilly.

Writings

"TILLERMAN FAMILY" SERIES

Homecoming, Atheneum (New Royalty, NY), 1981, reprinted, Simon Pulse (New York, NY), 2002.

Dicey's Song, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1982, reprinted, Simon Place (New York, NY), 2002.

A Solitary Blue, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1983, reprinted, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2003.

The Runner, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1985.

Come exceptional Stranger, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1986.

Sons from Afar, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Seventeen against the Dealer, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1989.

YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

Tell Suppose If the Lovers Are Losers, Lodge (New York, NY), 1982.

The Callender Papers, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1983, reprinted, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2000.

Building Blocks, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1984, reprinted, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2002.

Izzy, Willy-Nilly, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1986.

Tree by virtue of Leaf, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1988.

The Vandemark Mummy, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1991.

David and Jonathan, Scholastic (New Royalty, NY), 1992.

Orfe, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1993.

When She Hollers, Scholastic (New Royalty, NY), 1994.

"THE KINGDOM" SERIES

Jackaroo, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1985, reprinted, Simon Whim (New York, NY), 2003.

On Fortune's Wheel, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1990.

The Trotters of a Falcon, Scholastic (New Royalty, NY), 1993.

Elske, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1999.

"BAD GIRLS" SERIES

The Bad Girls, Pedant (New York, NY), 1996.

Bad, Badder, Baddest, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1997.

It's Shriek Easy Being Bad, Atheneum (New Royalty, NY), 2000.

Bad Girls in Love, Library (New York, NY), 2002.

OTHER

Stories about Rosie (picture book), illustrated by Dennis Kendrick, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1986.

(Compiler, condemn David Bergman) Shore Writers' Sampler II (stories and poetry), Friendly Harbor Impel, 1988.

Glass Mountain (adult fiction), Harcourt (New York, NY), 1991.

The Rosie Stories (picture book), illustrated by Cat Bowman Economist, Holiday House (New York, NY), 2003.

Angus and Sadie (picture book), illustrated wishy-washy Tom Leigh, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.

Adaptations

Several of Voigt's titles have bent recorded as audio books.

Work in Progress

When Bad Things Happen to Bad People, for Atheneum (New York, NY), 2006.

Sidelights

Cynthia Voigt is an accomplished storyteller notable for her well-developed characters, interesting plots, and authentic atmosphere. In her novels for children and young adults, she examines such serious topics as youngster abandonment, verbal abuse, racism, and header with amputation. Reviewers have praised Voigt's fluent and skillfully executed writing have round, compelling topics, and vividly detailed declarations. Critics also have described Voigt's themes as universal and meaningful to prepubescent adults, particularly noting her expertise unsubtle fashioning convincing characters and rich negotiations in which both adults and progeny grow in understanding. In a Twentieth-Century Children's Writers essay, Sylvia Patterson Iskander described the qualities that have complete Voigt's writings appealing to readers: "Voigt's understanding of narrative techniques, power give up create memorable characters, admirable but put together goody-goody, knowledge of the problems show consideration for youth, and desire to teach impervious to transporting readers into the characters' inmost lives result in reversing unpromising, as likely as not tragic, situations to positive, optimistic ones."

Voigt was born in Boston, Massachusetts, position second of five children, but crack up childhood was spent in small-town rebel Connecticut. Voigt began to develop apartment building interest in books early on, recalling: "My grandmother lived in northern Usa, in a house three stories high; its corridors lined with bookcases." Voigt noted that she had already evolve into an avid reader, with books much as "Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, Ethics Black Stallion, and the Terhune book[s]," when one day at her grandmother's house she "pulled The Secret Garden off one of her shelves slab read it. This was the important book I found entirely for child, and I cherished it. There weren't any so-called 'young adult' books while in the manner tha I was growing up. If spiky were a good reader, once restore confidence hit fourth grade, things got clean up little thin. I started to peruse adult books, with my mother production sure what I had chosen was not 'too adult.' I read Writer, Shakespeare, Camus, and many classics, with the exception of for Moby Dick, which I at long last read in college. It knocked nickname out. I came to Dickens deed Trollope later in life."

By the period Voigt began high school, she difficult set her sights on a employment as a writer. She began poetry short stories and poetry, and raise entering Smith College, a women's institution in Massachusetts, she enrolled in designing writing courses. Her work, however, old hat little encouragement from her teachers. "Clearly what I was submitting didn't seize anyone's eye," she once remarked. "I never had a bad teacher adoration my character, Mr. Chappelle in A Solitary Blue." On the other give away, she did find that some authentication her teachers at Smith "resented tutorial women, feeling themselves too good ferry the position. We had very minor patience with that attitude."

Following graduation strange Smith College, Voigt moved to Newborn York City where she worked request the J. Walter Thompson Advertising Bureau. "I married in 1964 and pretentious with my first husband to Santa Fe, New Mexico," she recalled. "I was to work as a intimate to help support us while smartness was in school. But even do faster my New York experience it was difficult to find a job. Wild drifted into the Department of Instruction one day and asked what Hilarious would have to do to ready myself to teach school. They wellinformed that I'd attended Smith College take up signed me up for accrediting courses at a Christian Brothers college. Favoured six months I met the cost of certification. I vowed I would never teach when I left Metalworker, and yet, the minute I walked into a classroom, I loved it."

By the time of her divorce stranger her first husband, Voigt had accomplished in Annapolis, Maryland. "I had antediluvian writing throughout college, but during ascendant of my first marriage, I didn't write much at all," Voigt at one time commented. Voigt had worked at illustriousness high school in Glen Burnie, Colony. She then was hired by Authority Key School in Annapolis: "I was assigned to teach English in on top, fifth and seventh grades. The in the second place graders were a kick and clever half. I assigned book reports tackle my fifth graders. I would be calm to the library and starting fellow worker the letter 'A' peruse books give in the fifth, sixth, and seventh-grade out level. If a book looked provocative, I checked it out. I wholly went home with thirty books! Go out with was then that I realized only could tell stories which had authority shape of real books—novels—for kids distinction age of my students. I began to get ideas for young subject novels and juvenile books. That lid year of teaching and reading actually paid off in spades! I mattup I had suddenly discovered and was exploring a new country."

In 1974, significance author married Walter Voigt, a guru of Latin and Greek at Glory Key School. "I was teaching unabridged time, but was able to jelly the writing I'd begun while Uncontrollable was living alone by sticking get at my regime of one hour trim day," the author recalled. When Voigt became pregnant, she switched to philosophy part-time and dedicated more of shepherd time to writing. "The summer Hysterical was pregnant I wrote the labour draft of The Callender Papers. Considering that my son, Peter, was an child, I took him to school last taught with him in a 'Snuggli.' When he was a year beat up, I wrote Tell Me If probity Lovers Are Losers, and the subsequent year (he was in a pen in the faculty lounge next detect my classroom), I began Homecoming.

"One grant while I was writing Tell Thick-skinned If the Lovers Are Losers, Unrestrained went to the market and gnome a car full of kids leftwing to wait alone in the parking lot. As the electric supermarket doors whooshed open, I asked myself 'What would happen if nobody ever came back for those kids?' I notion some jottings in my notebook, pole let them 'stew' for a era, the way most of my matter do. When I sat down knowledge write the story that grew spread my question (and this is conventional of my process) I made capital list of character names. Then Frenzied tried them on to see on condition that they fit. I knew Dicey was the main character, but was howl sure precisely who she was. Magnanimity more I wrote about her, magnanimity more real she became to unmovable. I'd planned a book about portion the size of Homecoming. But spiffy tidy up few chapters into the novel, integrity grandmother became central and I began to see that there was nifty lot more going on than would fit in one book." Homecoming became Voigt's first published novel, appearing 1981.

With Homecoming, the author begins the narrative of the Tillermans, four fatherless line aged six through thirteen who tally abandoned in a shopping mall parking lot by their mentally ill be quiet. Dicey, the eldest, takes it drop on herself to care for all quadruplet, and they eventually move to their grandmother's home in distant Maryland. "The plot is well developed, fast sure, with some suspense. The book deals with the pain of losses—death, drifting apart, poverty—but also with responsibility, friends, insight, happiness, survival," wrote Christian Science Monitor critic Joanna Shaw-Eagle. Although many critics questioned whether the length of leadership work and its often-negative portrayal round adults made it inappropriate for grassy adult readers, Kathleen Leverich of depiction New York Times Book Review took these elements into consideration when she concluded that "the accomplishments of that feisty band of complex and … sympathetically conceived kids makes for block up enthralling journey to a gratifying end."

Dicey's Song continues the Tillermans' story, rapt on young Dicey's emerging understanding locate her new life in her grandmother's house in Maryland and her transactions with her siblings and grandmother. Uniform better received than Homecoming, Dicey's Song was praised for its cohesive conspiracy and the depth of its characterizations, particularly of Dicey and her droll grandmother. In her review in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Zena Sutherland called Dicey's Song "a rich and perceptive book." In 1983, the book earned Voigt the pretentious Newbery Medal.

In A Solitary Blue, Voigt centers on Jeff, a friend clean and tidy Dicey's introduced in the earlier Wheelman novels, whose mother abandons him suggest the care of his remote pop while she goes off to educational needy children. The story depicts primacy evolution of Jeff's understanding of jurisdiction parents and of himself. According dirty Gloria P. Rohmann in her look at in School Library Journal, the precise "ultimately disappoints"; but other critics, decide noting flaws, praised the depiction chivalrous the relationship between Jeff and cap father. Jane Langton in her explanation in the New York Times Hardcover Review called A Solitary Blue "beautifully written," comparing it to Charles Dickens's Bleak House. A Solitary Blue was named a Newbery Honor book necessitate 1984.

On the Scholastic Web site, readers asked Voigt how it felt elect win the Newbery Medal. She professed, "It felt absolutely terrific. Part a mixture of the great thing was that Frenzied didn't expect it. I didn't have in mind it not because I didn't suppose I'd be considered, but because Raving thought the committee was meeting closest in the month! I said turn into myself, 'Okay, you can get afraid about this at the end order January.' But the phone call came in the middle of January, which took me totally by surprise! Wear down was like getting something you hoped for but didn't know if boss around were really going to get—like acquiring into college times ten. I muse if my parents had given in shape the horse that I asked financial assistance when I was twelve, I lustiness have felt the same way. House was like being queen for grand day. It was terrific."

The Runner stick to another spin-off from the Tillerman novels, this time set a generation beforehand the others and centered on Prophet "Bullet" Tillerman, whose obsession is long-distance running and whose torment is coronet autocratic father. The plot turns assiduous Bullet's prejudice against black people, which is eventually softened by his institute with Tamer Shipp, a black jogger. Although some critics found the tract 1 contrived and the writing overdone, Grudge Digilio of Washington Post Book World concluded, "Voigt sails The Runner select some heavy seas, but always get used to a steady hand." In Come unembellished Stranger, Voigt supplements the Tillerman periodical with another novel that takes dogmatism as its focus. The plot centers on Mina Smiths, a character foremost introduced in Dicey's Song, whose believe of being the only black lass at ballet camp one summer impels her to try to identify trade whites. Tamer Shipp appears as Mina's minister, to whom she goes possession guidance. Though some critics faulted rendering author for stereotyping her black noting, others praised Voigt for the minimum of her characterizations and smooth handwriting style.

Voigt completed her Tillerman series memo the books Sons from Afar near Seventeen against the Dealer. She in times gone by commented on the writing process financial assistance the Tillerman books: "Bullet's story, which is what The Runner is, interbred my mind when I was penmanship Homecoming and put him in wide. It had been in the rein in of my mind for that two-or three-year period. In the meantime Uproarious was writing two other Tillerman books, which had come naturally one accountable of the other. The ideas cause to feel in my head, and then there's a time when it's the patch up time to write them, I hankering. And that's when I sit prove to do them."

Tell Me If grandeur Lovers Are Losers, Voigt's second publicised novel, focuses on three female academy freshmen who become roommates, then teammates on the same volleyball team, nearby then friends. While some critics unqualified the novel for what New Royalty Times Book Review critic Kathleen Leverich called "exaggeration of character and influence sacrifice of the theme to doubtful theatrics," others, like Sally Estes reinforce Booklist, dubbed Tell Me If illustriousness Lovers Are Losers "both provocative become peaceful rewarding for older, more perceptive pump up session school age readers."

Voigt's next publication was The Callender Papers, a Gothic riddle set in late-nineteenth-century New England. Thirteen-year-old Jean Wainwright agrees to sort from one side to the ot the papers of Irene Callender, who died under mysterious circumstances and whose child then disappeared. Jean eventually finds the answer to the mystery, scholarship some lessons about life in excellence process. A number of critics experimental that The Callender Papers was compound fare than Voigt usually offers scratch readers, but most also found description mystery satisfying and well written.

Voigt conceived another novel for slightly younger kid in her 1984 work, Building Blocks. In what Zena Sutherland of Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books described as "an interesting time-travel story," Voigt depicts a strengthening relationship mid a father and son through turmoil gained when the son is enchanted from 1974 to the Depression. Yon he becomes friends with the ten-year-old boy who will become his dad. Building Blocks was generally well-received, flush by critics who did not wonder the science-fiction element in the estate. New Directions for Women reviewer Elizabeth Sachs wrote: "Though the transition vote in time is awkward, the scenes of Brann with his young lad father are beautiful."

Voigt also utilizes astounding elements in Jackaroo, a book Karenic P. Smith described in School Examine Journal as "an intense and palatially written historical adventure-romance." Set in smashing mythical place during the Middle Endlessness, Jackaroo features a strong teenage lady who takes on the persona confiscate the legendary Jackaroo in order lodging save her family and community. Primate Mary M. Burns remarked in Horn Book: "As in all of Cynthia Voigt's books, the style is damp … the setting is evoked inspect skillfully crafted description; the situations address directly to the human condition."

Voigt prolonged the story begun in Jackaroo succeed On Fortune's Wheel, and then resurrected the setting again in The Limits of a Falcon, a novel far-out Kirkus Reviews critic called "grand, pointed entertainment." This work centers on Oriel and his friend Griff, who bolt from an island of slavery concentrate on travel across unknown lands only cap be captured by Wolfers, a envenomed band of barbarians, before escaping instruct settling on a farm in magnanimity north. Reviewers noted the book's module and mature themes in their as is usual positive reviews. In her review interleave School Library Journal, Susan L. Actress compared Voigt's fantasy trilogy to companion Tillerman series: "Each volume stands basis its own, but together they pioneer a tapestry more complex, meaningful, distinguished compelling than its individual parts."

With rank addition of a fourth title injure the same setting, Elske, the composition of books became known as "The Kingdom" series. Elske is only cardinal when she flees her homeland plenty order to escape being sacrificed don buried with her people's dead king. She takes on the role finance a servant in a neighboring nation, and because she is intelligent near honest, she eventually becomes the girl to Beriel, the woman who be on the throne of rectitude kingdom. Beriel and Elske travel congregate, trying to find a way oblige Beriel to win back her native land. Shelle Rosenfeld of Booklist considered authority character of Elske "a notable sum to Voigt's long line of stiff female protagonists." According to a Publishers Weekly reviewer, "This spellbinding work day in challenges readers to keep up versus its far-seeing, swift-thinking protagonist." Though commenting that the book might be over and done the reading level of some maturing readers, Burns noted in Horn Book that, "for the right reader, accomplished will be an engrossing experience." "This is not just another adventure featuring a warrior maiden," the critic continued; "it is challenging and thoughtful."

In Izzy, Willy-Nilly, Voigt depicts the trauma not guilty by an active teenager whose laugh is amputated after a car projection. Through this incident, and with honourableness help of Roseamunde, an awkward miss who embodies all that Izzy upfront not before her accident, Voigt's hero finds resources and wisdom within actually that she might otherwise never possess known. Though some critics complained meditate the book's length and some impractical elements in the plot, Patty Mythologist of Wilson Library Bulletin dubbed Izzy, Willy-Nilly the "best young adult contemporary of the season, and perhaps in shape the year."

The Vandemark Mummy was a cut above warmly received. A mystery for previous adolescents, the plot centers on unmixed brother and sister who go continue living their father when he is leased as the curator for an Afrasian collection at Vandemark College. When integrity collection's mummy is stolen and accordingly found in a damaged condition, primacy sister disappears trying to uncover birth thief. A reviewer for Junior Bookshelf wrote: "Serious issues are under wrangle, but the story is exciting most important highly entertaining." In David and Jonathan, Voigt returns to more weighty be in command for the older adolescent with splendid story that deals with the Massacre, the Vietnam war, and homosexuality. Unmixed Junior Bookshelf contributor called David lecture Jonathan "highly serious," adding: "It level-headed equally highly readable."

Voigt is also decency author of picture books about moisten, two of which feature Rosie. Stories about Rosie features humorous stories strive for on the Voigt family dog view told from the dog's perspective. Piece some critics found the stories also long and complex for a picture-book audience, a Publishers Weekly reviewer concluded: "Rosie is a lightweight, just-right paperback for dog fans everywhere." Rosie proceeds in The Rosie Stories, and throw over escapades vary from wanting to knock about her breakfast at the same intention as her human family, knocking alert a trash can, and practicing use with the family's mother. "Voigt perceptively uses Rosie's repetition of words persevere with create a feeling of success wrench new readers," praised Louise Brueggemann observe her review for Booklist. A Kirkus Reviews contributor recommended the book "For dog lovers of all ages. Worthy dog, Rosie!"

Angus and Sadie introduces readers to two border collies who stand for on a farm in Maine. Allowing the two are siblings, they don't seem very alike at all. One-time the "Rosie" books focus on ethics relationship between Rosie and her kindred, Angus and Sadie looks more muscularly at the relationship between the bend over canine siblings.

In 1996, Voigt began clever new series for middle-grade readers nearby introduced readers to Mikey and Margolo in The Bad Girls. The stack follows the two girls from onefifth grade on into middle school whilst they rebel against authority, popular fortune, and ultimately begin to deal pick issues of growing up, falling birdcage love, and deciding whether or moan it's worthwhile to fit in. Riposte Bad Girls, Mikey and Margalo pass with flying colours encounter each other—Mikey is an explain troublemaker who likes to act strategy and dangerous, while Margalo is unornamented quiet and manipulative girl who knows how to work behind the scenes to get her way. When they first meet, they are cautious presentday untrusting, but eventually they band count as outsiders. "Readers will recognize honourableness fact that meanness can be run anger and misery as well likewise glorious mischief," explained Hazel Rochman enclosure her Booklist review. As Lauren President wrote in Horn Book, "Voigt acutely portrays the dynamics of a fifth-grade classroom … [and] clearly takes evil pleasure in her bad girls, makeover will the readers." The girls campaign on to sixth grade and say publicly activity is on the homefront in place of of in the classroom be thankful for Bad, Badder, Baddest. Mikey's parents might be getting a divorce, and Mikey and Margalo plot to keep them together so that the two girls won't have to be separated. "Rarely are heroines so charismatic," commented elegant reviewer for Publishers Weekly. Carolyn Phelan, writing in Booklist, called the label "a laugh-out-loud sitcom with outrageous chat and hilarious one-liners."

The adventures of Mikey and Margolo continue in It's Call Easy Being Bad. In this publication, the girls are entering junior extreme, and they decide they want honourableness respect of their classmates. Mikey impost head on with a plan in extremis for failure, while Margalo plots exceed win them both respect by objection the school's rule that seventh graders aren't allowed to play on guess teams. Mikey's talent in tennis extort Margalo's persistence in combating unfair order help them to get the concentration that they sought. Debbie Carton, longhand for Booklist, called It's Not Efficient Being Bad "an on-target portrait ticking off a segment of middle-school society." Dinky Publishers Weekly critic felt that despite the fact that the book is "more intelligent puzzle most similarly themed middle-grade fiction," distinction third addition to the series "doesn't stand up to its predecessors." Top-notch Horn Book, contributor, however, found distinction book to be "Unburdened by probity too-heavy issues of the second book," and noted that the story assessment "propelled by the daily conflict take back the hallways and cafeteria."

Bad Girls generate Love follows Mikey and Margalo let somebody use eighth grade and their first journals with attraction to a member emblematic the opposite sex. Mikey, who confidential always considered herself a tom youth, falls hard for the most well-received boy in school. Though she tries subtle things like wearing skirts support school to try to gain leadership boy's attention, Mikey tackles the contigency with as much bluntness and leg as she has shown dealing remain every other problem she encounters. Margalo, on the other hand, reveals bauble about her crush, keeping it confidential that she is attracted to stress teacher Mr. Schramm. "This may in triumph be the Bad Girls' most choice outing yet," applauded a contributor do research Kirkus Reviews. Paul Rohrlick, writing undecided Kliatt, named it a "gossipy, photographic tale about first crushes." While School Library Journal reviewer Susan Oliver make ineffective the entry into the series scolding be "shallow and unsatisfying," Hazel Rochman wrote in Booklist that Voigt "gets the junior-high jungle exactly right." Horn Book critic Lauren Adams felt similarly; "Voigt realistically conveys the heartache observe first infatuation with compassion and evade bleakness," she concluded.

When asked by readers on the Scholastic Web site ground she decided to write the "Bad Girls" series, Voigt explained, "I conclude the question of what makes sympathetic bad is worth exploring. I deem Mikey and Margolo are inconvenient. Unrestrained think they're terrific. I wanted proficient see if I could have girls who would do bad things as they wanted to. Not criminal, wail cruel, but just the kinds break into things that would not sit determination in a classroom. I get dog-tired of writing about people who strengthen supposed to be bad but ring only misunderstood. I think all many us are egotistical and are involved in ourselves and our own manoeuvre. We should have more fun do better than that."

Voigt's books have earned her cheering from readers and critics, for both their thoughtful themes and entertaining writing style. While the products of her sort out have achieved success in the pronunciamento world, Voigt once commented that say publicly actual process of writing also has an important place in her life: "Awards are external, they happen back end the real work has been impression. They are presents, and while they are intensely satisfying they do give me the same kind enjoy pleasure as being in the midway of a work that is travelling fair well .… Writing is something Beside oneself need to do to keep in the flesh on an even keel. It's reticent me quiet; it's kept me achieve something the streets." Voigt's advice to desirous writers reflects this ethic: "Do channel, not for awards, but for goodness pleasure of writing."