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Frances M. Wood
Proof that sixth-grade readers really do
grow up to become authors:
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1) I was born in Washington State but grew up in
California -- the state that I call my real home, except
that now I live in North Carolina and love it.
2) I graduated from high school, went to Brown University
for two years, but got my undergraduate degree from Stanford.
I mostly studied science, languages, and history. My favorite
course was "La ilusión y la realidad en la
literatura hispana;" my least favorite course was
"elementary economics." Because I like to know
a little bit about a lot of things, I went to UC Berkeley
to get a library degree. Afterward, I became a reference
librarian.
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3) My greatest inspirations for writing
have been:
a) Robert Lawson who wrote Rabbit
Hill
b) Madeleine L'Engle who wrote A Wrinkle in Time
c) My sister Alyson who was so much younger than
I, I had to tell her stories.
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4) My first book, Becoming Rosemary,
was published in 1997 (Delacorte Press) with an audio
book (Recorded Books) and editions in Danish and Turkish.
It's the story of a young girl growing up in a magical family
in 1790 North Carolina.
a) Kirkus: "Nearly flawless"
b) Publishers Weekly: "A hymn to the
pains and joys of special gifts"
c) Nashville Parent: "An exemplary chapter
book for young girls"
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5) Daughter of Madrugada was published in 2002 by Delacorte Press, and is also available as a large print book (Thorndike Press). It's the story of a California Mexican family at the very beginning of the gold rush.
a) School Library Journal: "A
genuine love of the land and the time pervades the narrative
along with an aura of authenticity that seems almost autobiographical…A
vivid work of historical fiction, this is also a compelling
story of a young girl making the change from child to adult
in a world once comforting, but growing increasingly hostile."
b) Raleigh News and Observer: "Children
10 and older will be stirred, their souls nourished by Daughter
of Madrugada."
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| When Molly Was a Harvey Girl will be published in May 2010 by Kane/Miller Books. Molly is modeled (a bit) on my own great-grandmother who moved to the wild west in 1886. I don't know much about my great-grandmother, but Molly encounters railroad men, miners, ranchers, the great impresario Buffalo Billl, a tornado of culinary excellence known as Chef Gaston, and the most dangerous desperado of them all - Genius Jim. |
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6) Awards and honors
a) Becoming Rosemary: Bank Street
College of Education's Best Children's Books of 1998; nominated
for state book-of-the-year awards in Vermont and Pennsylvania;
North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship 1999.
b) Daughter of Madrugada: One Hundred
Titles for Reading and Sharing, NY Public Library 2002;
Best Books for 2002, The Center for Children's Books; Best Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library 2004; FOCAL Award 2004, Friends of Children and Literature, Los
Angeles Public Library.
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Email Frances M. Wood
Visit Frances' Web Site: www.francesmwood.com
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