Robbie Nell Tilley Branscum (June 17, 1934 – May 24, 1997) was an American writer of

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 ...

and

young adult fiction 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 ...

. Her books were awarded with a Friends of American Writers Award (1977) and an

Edgar 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 hon ...

(1983).

Early life and education

Robbie was born on a farm near Big Flat, Arkansas. Her father died when she was only four years old and she grew up with her poor grandparents on another farm. Branscum dropped out from school after the seventh grade. She continued to read books and write poetry and songs citing and provided for her livelihood through work at dirt farms. At the age of 15 she married Dwane Branscum. She gave birth to a daughter and divorced at the age of 25.

Writer career

Branscum's life took a major turn after the newsletter of her church, the

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...

, printed an article she had written. Subsequently, she decided to become an author. Branscum's first book was ''Me and Jim Luke'' (1971). Branscum published 20 books in 20 years time, though not one each year. Several of her books were translated into Danish, Italian, Japanese, and Swedish. Branscum worked with

literary agent A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in sale and deal negotiation. Literary agents most often represent novelists, screenwr ...

Barthold Fles Barthold "Bart" Fles (February 7, 1902 – December 19, 1989) was a Dutch-American literary agent, author, translator, editor and publisher. Among his many clients were Elias Canetti, Raymond Loewy, Heinrich Mann, Joseph Roth, Felix Salten, Ign ...

, who described her as "the worst speller and best writer I have." In 1977, she won an Award of Merit from the Friends of American Writers for ''Toby, Granny and George'' and in 1983 an

for ''The Murder of Hound Dog Bates''.

Death

She died from a heart attack in 1997 in her home in

San Pablo, California San Pablo (Spanish language, Spanish for "Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul") is an enclave city in Contra Costa County, California, Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 census. The current mayor is P ...

Honors and awards

* 1977 – Friends of American Writers Award of Merit for ''Toby, Granny and George'' * 1979 – Best of the Best 1966–1978, School Library Journal, for ''Johnny May'' * 1983 –

, Best Juvenile, for ''The Murder of Hound Dog Bates''

Books

* 1971 – Me and Jim Luke * 1975 – Three Wars of Billy Joe Treat * 1976 – Johnny May * 1977 – Toby, Granny and George * 1978 – Three Buckets of Daylight (with Allen Davis) * 1978 – To the Tune of a Hickory Stick * 1978 – The Ugliest Boy * 1979 – For Love of Jody (with Allen Davis) * 1979 – The Saving of P.S. * 1979 – Toby Alone * 1981 – Toby and Johnny Joe * 1982 – The Murder of Hound Dog Bates * 1983 – Cheater and Flitter Dick * 1983 – Spud Tackett * 1984 – The Adventures of Johnnie May * 1986 – The Girl * 1987 – Johnny May Grows Up * 1989 – Cameo Rose * 1991 – Old Blue Tilley * 1991 – Never Pa's Girl

References

External links

Robbie Tilley Branscum
in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas
"Her Books for Children Told of Poor, Rural America"
by Wolfgang Saxon – Obituary in the ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Greater Pittsburgh, metropolitan Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the fi ...

''
Five facts about Robbie Branscum
by Deborah Branscum on Branscum.net rchived {{DEFAULTSORT:Branscum, Robbie 1934 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American novelists American children's writers American women novelists Baptists from Arkansas Baptist writers Farmworkers 20th-century American farmers People from Baxter County, Arkansas Writers from Arkansas American women children's writers 20th-century American women writers Edgar Award winners People from San Pablo, California Writers from California 20th-century Baptists