Carolyn Coman (born October 28, 1951) is an American writer best known for

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

. Her novels '' What Jamie Saw'' (1995) and ''Many Stones'' (2000) were among the runners-up for major annual awards by the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

(ALA) and the

National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established with the goal "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America." Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: ...

Biography

Carolyn Coman was born October 28, 1951, in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

, near

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. She worked as a

bookbinder Bookbinding is the process of building a book, usually in codex format, from an ordered stack of paper sheets with one's hands and tools, or in modern publishing, by a series of automated processes. Firstly, one binds the sheets of papers alon ...

1975-84 and later as an editor with Heinemann before she became a full-time writer. She edited ''Body and Soul'', a photo-portrait documentary by

Judy Dater Judith Rose Dater (née Lichtenfeld; June 21, 1941) is an American photographer and feminist. She is celebrated for her 1974 photograph, '' Imogen and Twinka at Yosemite'', featuring an elderly Imogen Cunningham, one of America's first woman phot ...

, and wrote the text of a children's

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The ima ...

, prior to completing four

young-adult novel Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

s from 1993 to 2000. Her novels for middle-grade readers (2004 and 2007) combine humour, investigation and a sense of nostalgia. In the YA novels, "She explores the darker sides of growing up: dealing with parent's abandonment through death in ''Tell Me Everything'', abuse by a stepparent in ''What Jamie Saw'', sibling incest in ''Bee and Jacky'' and a political-inspired tragedy in ''Many Stones''." ''Many Stones'' was inspired by the murder of

Amy Biehl Amy Elizabeth Biehl (April 26, 1967 – August 25, 1993) was a Fulbright Scholar and American graduate of Stanford University and an anti-Apartheid activist in South Africa who was murdered by a black mob shouting anti-white slurs at her in ...

. '' What Jamie Saw'' (1995) was

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

honor book and a

National Book Award for Young People's Literature The National Book Award for Young People's Literature is one of five annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation (NBF) to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writer ...

finalist. ''Many Stones'' (2000) was a

Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by ''Booklist'' magazine; administered by the ALA's ...

Honor Book and another National Book Award finalist. (From 1922 the ALA Newbery Medal recognizes the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children", with some designated runners-up now called "Honor Books". From 2000, the Newbery and Printz separately recognize books for "children" and "teens".) Coman has two children and lives in

South Hampton, New Hampshire South Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 894 at the 2020 census. South Hampton is home to Cowden State Forest and Powwow River State Forest. History South Hampton was one of the first to ...

Works

* ''Body and Soul: ten American women'', edited by Coman, photographs by

(Boston: Hill & Co., 1988), * ''Losing Things at Mr. Mudd's'', illustrated by Lance Hidy (

Farrar, Straus & Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

, 1992), picture book - "Youngsters at the book's intended age range may be put off by Mr. Mudd's gruffness--even his eventual relenting bears a grudging tone. Despite the collaborators' evident talents, their work generally lacks child appeal." * ''Tell me Everything'' (Farrar, 1993) * '' What Jamie Saw'' ( Arden, NC: Front Street, 1995) * ''Bee and Jacky'' (Front Street, 1998) - "Coman's (What Jamie Saw) latest is the literary equivalent of a Diane Arbus photograph: it presents a sharp, shocking picture of pathology, but leaves it to the audience to imagine the world beyond the frame." * '' Many Stones'' (Front Street, 2000), Berry (16) reconnects with her father during their journey to South Africa. - "Writing with her usual economy and penetrating insight, Coman (Bee & Jacky, 1998, etc) portrays a young person searching for something—she's not sure what—and finding it in keeping the link that her sister forged with an amazing people. It's an uplifting tale: harsh, complex, but lit at the end by a promise of reconciliation." * ''The Big House'', illustrated by Rob Shepperson (Front Street, 2004) * ''Sneaking Suspicions'', illus. Shepperson (Front Street, 2007) – sequel to ''The Big House'' * ''The Memory Bank'', illus. Shepperson (

Arthur A. Levine Books Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...

, 2010), 288 pp. - "Brilliantly crafted, thoroughly enjoyable and, though so very like Dahl, unique as a fascinating new way to ponder dreams and memories." * ''Writing Stories: ideas, exercises, and encouragements for teachers and writers of all ages'', illus. Shepperson (Portland, ME:

Stenhouse Publishers ''Highlights for Children'', often referred to simply as ''Highlights'', is an American children's magazine. It was started in June 1946 by educators Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark Myers in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. They worked for the ...

, 2011),

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coman, Carolyn 1951 births American children's writers 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American women novelists Newbery Honor winners Writers from Chicago People from South Hampton, New Hampshire Living people