(born 1928). With her honest and provocative novels, U.S. author Betsy Byars was a unique voice in children's literature. She was praised for confronting such difficult themes as adolescence without resorting to simple solutions. The American Library Association awarded Byars the Newbery Medal in 1971 for her novel The Summer of the Swans. She was born Betsy Cromer on Aug. 7, 1928, in Charlotte, N.C. She studied for two years at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., and received a bachelor's degree in English from Queens College in Charlotte in 1950. That same year she married Edward F. Byars. Byars' first published book, Clementine, appeared in 1962. The Summer of the Swans (1970), like many of her novels, was considered a sensitive and realistic portrayal of childhood. Her other books for children and young adults include Rama, the Gypsy Cat (1966), The House of Wings (1972), The 18th Emergency (1973), The Lace Snail (1975), The Cartoonist (1978), The Animal, the Vegetable, and John D. Jones (1982), Bingo Brown and the Language of Love (1989), The Joy Boys (1996), and Disappearing Acts (1998). In 1987 Byars received the Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association for her contributions to children's literature. Byars also wrote articles that appeared in such magazines as Saturday Evening Post and Look.. Several of her books were adapted for television. |