Polly Horvath (born January 30, 1957 in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

) is an American-Canadian author of novels for

children A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

and young adults. She won the 2003 U.S.

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 ...

for '' The Canning Season'', published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux."National Book Awards – 2003"
. National Book Foundation (NBF). Retrieved 2012-01-26.
(With acceptance speech by Horvath an introduction by jury chair Susan Campbell Bartoletti: this year's entries "reveal that there are few or no subject boundaries left between books for young people and books for adults.") In 2010, Horvath received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People.

Biography

Horvath was born 30 January 1957 in

to John Anthony and Betty Ann Horvath. Horvath began writing at the age of eight. She attended the Canadian College of Dance in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She lived in

and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

before settling on southern

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Horvath once declared, "I don't have that much fun writing them. I have the most fun when I'm on the last page." She is married to Arnold Keller, a professor, with whom she has two daughters: Emily Willa and Rebecca Avery Keller.

Awards and honors

In 2010, Horvath received the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, which is considered a top honour for Canadian children's book writers and illustrators. Six of Horvath's books are Junior Library Guild selections: ''My One Hundred Adventures'' (2009), ''Northward to the Moon'' (2010), ''One Year in Coal Harbor'' (2013), ''The Night Garden'' (2017), ''Very Rich'' (2018), and ''Pine Island Home'' (2020). Her books have also landed on many lists of the best books of the year: * In 1999, '' The Horn Book Magazine'' named ''The Trolls'' one of the best children's fiction books of the year. * In 2003, ''Horn Book Magazine'' named ''The Canning Season'' one of the best children's fiction books of the year. * In 2004, ''Horn Book Magazine'' named ''The Pepins and Their Problems'' one of the best children's fiction books of the year. * In 2008, ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...

'' and '' School Library Journal'' named ''My One Hundred Adventures'' one of the best children's books of the year. * In 2013, ''School Library Journal'' named ''One Year in Coal Harbor'' one of the best children's books of the year.

Publications

*''An Occasional Cow'' (1989) *''No More Cornflakes'' (1990) *''The Happy Yellow Car'' (1994) *''When the Circus Came to Town'' (1996) *''The Trolls'' (1999) *'' Everything on a Waffle'' (2001) *'' The Canning Season'' (2003) *''The Pepins and their Problems'' (2004) *''The Vacation'' (2005) *''The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane'' (2007) *''My One Hundred Adventures'' (2008) *''Northward to the Moon'' (2010) *''Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire!'' (2012) *''One Year in Coal Harbor'' (2012) *''Lord and Lady Bunny—Almost Royalty!'' (2014)

References

External links

* *
Mrs. Bunny
at LC Authorities {{DEFAULTSORT:Horvath, Polly 1957 births 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers American children's writers American emigrants to Canada American people of Hungarian descent American women children's writers American women novelists Canadian children's writers Canadian people of Hungarian descent Living people National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners Newbery Honor winners Writers from British Columbia Writers from Kalamazoo, Michigan

Biography

Awards and honors

Publications

See also

References

External links