Frances M. Wood

Proof that sixth-grade readers really do grow up to become authors:

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.

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.

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"

5) Daughter of Madrugada was published in 2002 (Delacorte Press). It's now available as a large print book (Thorndike Press), and will soon come out in audio format (Live Oak Media). 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."

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.