Cynthia Voigt (born February 25, 1942) is an American writer of books for young adults dealing with various topics such as adventure, mystery, racism and child abuse. Her first book in the Tillerman family series, ''

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States and Canada. United St ...

'', was nominated for several international prizes and adapted as a 1996 film. Her novel '' Dicey's Song'' won the 1983

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 ...

. Voigt received the

Margaret Edwards Award The Margaret A. Edwards Award is an American Library Association (ALA) literary award that annually recognizes an author and "a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature". It is named aft ...

from 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 ...

in 1995 recognizing her contribution in writing for teens.

Life

Cynthia Voigt was born February 25, 1942, in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

."Learning About Cynthia Voigt"
Lauren Elmegreen, Grade 8. '' ay E.Vandegrift's Children's Literature Page'', SCILS, Rutgers (rutgers.edu). rchive/ref> She graduated from Dana Hall School and

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

in Massachusetts and worked in advertising in New York City. In 1964, she married and moved to

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, where she started teaching. She taught second grade (and one high school English class) at the Key School in Annapolis, Maryland, from 1966 to 1971. She divorced in 1972, and taught high school English in Glen Burnie, Maryland. She began writing again and remarried in 1974, to Walter Voigt, who taught classical Greek at the Key School, where she returned to teach high school English again."Cynthia Voigt"
. Scholastic Teachers. After winning the Newbery Medal for ''Dicey's Song'', she left teaching to write full-time and moved to Deer Isle,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. She is the mother of two children, Peter and Jessica.

Awards and honors

The ALA

recognizes one writer and a particular body of work for "significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature". Voigt won the annual award in 1995, citing seven books published from 1981 to 1986: ''Homecoming'', ''Dicey's Song'', ''A Solitary Blue'', ''Building Blocks'', ''The Runner'', ''Jackaroo'', and ''Izzy, Willy-Nilly''(‡). According to the YA librarians, her "work for young adults over a period of years has provided an authentic voice ... Voigt's intense character studies introduce young adults to genuine people often isolated from society. While her characters may be orphaned, abandoned, disabled, their strength to overcome adversity is extraordinary." She has won several awards for particular works, too. *'' Dicey's Song'':

1983 *''The Callender Papers'':

Edgar Allan Poe Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor ...

Young Adult category 1984 *''The Runner'': Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Non-fiction book 1989 *''On Fortune's Wheel'':

ALA Best Books for Young Adults 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 associatio ...

*'' A Solitary Blue'':

Newbery Honor 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 ...

Book 1984; Phoenix Award Honor Book 2003

Works

Tillerman Cycle

The Tillerman Cycle follows the struggles of the eponymous family, beginning with ''Homecoming'', in which one generation of Tillerman children is abandoned by their mother. The young foursome must find their way to their estranged grandmother, under the leadership of thirteen-year-old Dicey, the eldest sibling and main character of the series. Four of the books are, however, centered on other characters—''The Runner'' follows Dicey's uncle, Bullet. ''Come a Stranger'' and ''A Solitary Blue'' cover some of the same territory as ''Dicey's Song'' from the perspectives of Mina and Jeff, respectively, who are two of Dicey's friends. ''Sons from Afar'' focuses on Dicey's brothers, James and Sammy. Throughout Voigt's novels, she taps into the emotional aspects of the struggles of the Tillerman children, as well as the other protagonists of her novels, making the Tillerman cycle a series of books appropriate for all ages. *1981 ''

'' ‡ *1982 '' Dicey's Song'' ‡ *1983 '' A Solitary Blue'' ‡ *1985 '' The Runner'' ‡ *1986 '' Come a Stranger'' *1987 '' Sons from Afar'' *1989 '' Seventeen Against the Dealer'' (‡) The first four Tillerman books were among seven cited when Voigt won the 1995 Edwards Award.

Kingdom series

The vast majority of Voigt's work is marked by a contemporary or historical setting and a realistic style. The "Kingdom" books break from the former, being set in an unspecified but apparently invented region in a circa-

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

period of historical development. While the world is invented, however, it remains realistic in its construction, and resembles in most respects a historically faithful period setting, rather than a sword and sorcerer fairyland. What myths are present in the Kingdom are usually seen to have historical basis; the first novel, ''Jackaroo'', deals with such a myth—a

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

-like figure who is really just an archetype whose guise is donned by various nobles and commoners through the years. The Kingdom books are connected by history and geography rather than the lifespan of any one character or family; though characters in later novels are sometimes descended from characters in earlier novels, their adventures are usually the stuff of myth or distant memory. In recent years, the series was repackaged and the books were released under new titles: ''The Tale of Gwyn'' (previously published as ''Jackaroo''), ''The Tale of Birle'' (previously published as ''On Fortune's Wheel''), ''The Tale of Oriel'' (previously published as ''The Wings of a Falcon''), and ''The Tale of Elske'' (previously published as ''Elske''). *1985 ''Jackaroo'' ‡ *1990 ''On Fortune's Wheel'' *1993 ''The Wings of a Falcon'' *1999 ''Elske''

Rosie series

*1986 ''Stories about Rosie'' *2003 ''Good Morning Rosie''

Bad Girls series

*1996 '' Bad Girls'' *1997 ''Bad, Badder, Baddest'' *2000 ''It's Not Easy Being Bad'' *2001 ''Born to be bad'' *2002 ''Bad Girls in Love'' *2003 *2006 ''Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do?''

Davis Farm series

*2005 ''Angus and Sadie'' *2011 ''Young Fredle'' *2018 ''Toaff’s Way''

Mister Max series

*2013 ''Mister Max: The Book of Lost Things: Mister Max 1'' *2014 ''Mister Max: The Book of Secrets: Mister Max 2'' *2015 ''Mister Max: The Book of Kings: Mister Max 3''

Other books

*1982 ''Tell Me If the Lovers Are Losers'' *1983 ''Callender Papers'' *1984 ''Building Blocks'' ‡ *1986 ''Izzy, Willy-Nilly'' ‡ *1988 ''Shore Writers' Sampler II'' *1988 ''Tree by Leaf'' *1991 ''Glass Mountain'' *1991 ''The Vandemark Mummy'' *1992 ''David and Jonathan'' *1992 ''Orfe'' *1994 ''When She Hollers'' *2016 ''Teddy & Co.'' *2017 ''By Any Name''

Short stories

*2011 "The Stepsister" included in the young adult anthology ''What You Wish For''

References

External links

* *
Cynthia Voigt
at

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Authorities —with 60 catalog records {{DEFAULTSORT:Voigt, Cynthia 1942 births 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers American children's writers American women novelists American women short story writers Edgar Award winners Margaret A. Edwards Award winners Newbery Medal winners Newbery Honor winners American writers of young adult literature Smith College alumni Living people 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American women writers of young adult literature