Laura Amy Schlitz is an American author of children's literature. She is a librarian and storyteller at the

Park School of Baltimore The Park School of Baltimore, known as Park, is a private, coeducational, PK-12, non-sectarian, progressive day school located in Baltimore County, Maryland. The school was founded in 1912 by Eli Frank Sr., Professor Hans Froelicher Sr., and ...

in Brooklandville, Maryland. She received the 2008

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 ...

for her children's book entitled '' Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village'', and the 2013

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 ...

for her children's book, '' Splendors and Glooms''. She also won the 2016

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an annual American children's book award that recognizes historical fiction. It was established in 1982 by Scott O'Dell, author of ''Island of the Blue Dolphins'' and 25 other children's books, in ho ...

, the 2015

National Jewish Book Award The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1943, is an American organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature. The goal of the council, as stated on its website, is "to promote the reading, writing and publishing of qual ...

, and the

Sydney Taylor Book Award The Sydney Taylor Book Award recognizes the best in Jewish children's literature. Medals are awarded annually for outstanding books that authentically portray the Jewish experience. The award was established in 1968 by the Association of Jewish L ...

for her young adult book, ''The Hired Girl''. Her other published books are ''The Hero Schliemann: The Dreamer Who Dug For Troy'' (2006), ''A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama'' (2006), which won a Cybils Award that year, ''The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm'' (2007), ''The Night Fairy'' (2010), ''Princess Cora and the Crocodile'' (2017), and ''Amber and Clay'' (2021). Schlitz attended

Goucher College Goucher College ( ') is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Towson, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1885 as a Nonsectarian, nonsecterian Women's colleges in the United States, ...

Towson, Maryland Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 59,533 in the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorpo ...

, and graduated in 1977.

''Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!''

''Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village'' comprises more than twenty one-person plays and two two-person plays. The 10- to 15-year-old characters all live in or near a 13th-century English manor. The monologues were written for the 5th Grade curriculum at The Park School during an F. Parvin Sharpless Faculty and Curricular Advancement Program (FACA) at the school. The book was awarded the 2008 Newbery Medal for excellence in children's literature.

''Splendors and Glooms''

The main character,'' ''rich girl Clara Wintermute'','' lives with her parents in a wealthy section of London. Her greatest wish for her birthday is for the puppet troupe she saw in a park one day to perform for her and her party guests. So the puppet master, Grisini, and his assistants, 14-year-old Lizzie Rose Fawr and 12-year-old Parsefall Hooke, visit the Wintermute home and put on their show. Then, not long after they visit, young Clara goes missing. Alleged kidnappers demand ransom from her parents, and Clara's father, Dr. Wintermute, brings the ransom to the appointed place, but the kidnapper never shows up. Meanwhile, an old witch is using her magic to summon Grisini to her estate near Lake Windermere. All of the children's lives soon become entangled with Grisini; the witch, Cassandra; and the Wintermutes. And all the while, Clara is being hidden in plain sight. The book was awarded the 2013 Newbery Honor for excellence in children's literature.

List of published books

Candlewick Press Candlewick Press, established in 1992 and located in Somerville, Massachusetts, is part of the Walker Books group. The logo depicting a bear carrying a candle is based on Walker Books's original logo. History Sebastian Walker launched Walker Boo ...

published all eight books that are listed under Schlitz's name in the U.S.

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 ...

catalog. * ''A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama'' (2006), Cybils Award winner * ''The Hero Schliemann: the dreamer who dug for Troy'' (2006), (illustrated by

Robert Byrd Robert Carlyle Byrd (born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr.; November 20, 1917 – June 28, 2010) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia for over 51 years, from 1959 until his death in 2010. A Democratic Pa ...

) * ''The Bearskinner: a tale of the Brothers Grimm'' (2007), retold by Schlitz, (illustrated by Max Grafe) * '' Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village'' (2007),

Winner (illustrated by

) * ''The Night Fairy'' (2010), (illustrated by Angela Barrett) * '' Splendors and Glooms'' (2012),

winner * ''The Hired Girl'' (2015),

, and

winner * ''Princess Cora and the Crocodile'' (2017), (illustrated by Brian Floca) * ''Amber and Clay'' (2021), (illustrated by Julia Iredale) Schlitz also wrote ''A Gypsy at Almack's'', an adult romance novel, under the name of Chloe Cheshire.

References

External links

*
Park School article about 2013 Newbery Honor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schlitz, Laura Amy 1955 births Living people American children's writers Newbery Medal winners Newbery Honor winners Writers from Baltimore American librarians American women librarians Goucher College alumni People from Baltimore County, Maryland 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American women children's writers American women novelists Novelists from Maryland