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Zilpha Keatley Snyder

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Zilpha Keatley Snyder
BornMay 11, 1927
Lemoore, California, US
DiedOctober 7, 2014 (aged 87)
San Francisco, California
OccupationChildren's fiction writer
NationalityAmerican
GenreFantasy novels, mainly
Notable worksThe Egypt Game, the Green Sky Trilogy
SpouseLarry Snyder
Children3: Susan Melissa, Douglas, and Ben
Website
web.archive.org/web/20190214003326/http://www.zksnyder.com/writers.html

Zilpha Keatley Snyder (May 11, 1927 – October 7, 2014) was an American author of books for children and young adults. Three of Snyder's works were named Newbery Honor books: The Egypt Game, The Headless Cupid and The Witches of Worm. She was most famous for writing adventure stories and fantasies.

Biography

Snyder was born in Lemoore, California, and spent most of her life in Northern California,[citation needed] though she and her husband lived in Washington state and in Alaska during his time in the Air Force. She earned a BA from Whittier College in 1948, and also attended the University of California at Berkeley from 1958-60.[1] Her obituary in The Washington Post notes, "“Mrs. Snyder displayed almost uncanny insight into the intellectual, emotional and imaginative lives of boys and girls, a perspective gained in part through her years as a schoolteacher,” noting that while she accompanied her husband "on his careers in the military and in music, she taught at schools in New York, Washington state, Alaska and California.“[2] After they settled in Berkeley, she taught the upper grades of elementary school.[3]

She began writing fiction in the 1960s and worked with influential children's book editor Jean Karl on her debut novel Season of Ponies, which Atheneum Books published in 1964.[4] This was also the first of her thirteen collaborations with illustrator Alston Raible.

Between 1964 and 2011, Snyder completed 46 books. Atheneum published her first 22 books and (as a Simon & Schuster imprint) her last three books.[5] Her New York Times obituary noted, “She mixed realism and the supernatural, and her stories often had endings that could be interpreted from either viewpoint. Her plots were tight, and her protagonists were often vital, thoughtful, courageous females.”[6]

After having written the novel Below the Root and its two sequels, Snyder was heavily involved in the 1984 Below the Root computer game that is set in the Green Sky universe, occurring after the events of the final novel, Until the Celebration. She worked with programmer Dale Disharoon on several aspects of the game including the map and characters.[7][8]

Snyder died at the age of 87 in 2014 from a stroke in San Francisco.[4]

Awards and honors

In 1972, The Witches of Worm was also a finalist for the National Book Award in the Children's Book category.[9]

In 1998, Snyder was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) degree from Whittier College.[10]

Her manuscripts are archived in the Children's Literature Research Collections of the Kerlan Collection, at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis.[11]

Published books

The Egypt Game series

Stanley Family series

Green Sky trilogy

Main article: Green Sky Trilogy

Castle Court Kids series

  • The Diamond War (1995)
  • The Box and the Bone (1995)
  • Ghost Invasion (1995)
  • Secret Weapons (1995)

Gib series

Other

References

  1. ^ Locus Magazine. Zilpha Keatley Snyder (1927-2014). October 15, 2014 https://locusmag.com/2014/10/zilpha-keatley-snyder-1927-2014/
  2. ^ Langer, Emily. “Zilpha Keatley Snyder, celebrated author of ‘The Egypt Game’ and other classics, dies” The Washington Post. Oct. 14, 2014. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/zilpha-keatley-snyder-celebrated-author-of-the-egypt-game-and-other-classics-dies/2014/10/14/8ebd1216-52f3-11e4-892e-602188e70e9c_story.html
  3. ^ Chawkins, Steve. Los Angeles Times. Oct. 18, 2014. Obituaries. Zilpha Keatley Snyder dies at 87; wrote fantastical children’s books. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-zilpha-keatley-snyder-20141019-story.html
  4. ^ a b c "Obituary: Zilpha Keatley Snyder". Shannon Maughan. Publishers Weekly. October 8, 2014. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  5. ^ a b (Home). Zilpha Keatley Snyder (zksnyder.com). Retrieved 2016-12-05.
      Three frames published 2011 to 2013 evidently. Snyder described her latest, William's Midsummer Dreams (Atheneum, 2011), counted it her 46th book, and mentioned "another in the works".
  6. ^ Martin, Douglas. “Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Author of Eerie Children’s Tales, Dies at 87.” New York Times, Oct. 13, 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/books/zilpha-keatley-snyder-author-of-eerie-childrens-tales-dies-at-87.html
  7. ^ "Autobiography". Zilpha Keatley Snyder (zksnyder.com). Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  8. ^ Below the Root game instruction manual.
  9. ^ The National Book Foundation. Zilpha Keatley Snyder. https://www.nationalbook.org/people/zilpha-keatley-snyder/
  10. ^ "Honorary Degrees | Whittier College". www.whittier.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  11. ^ Zilpha Keatley Snyder Papers. Identifier: CLRC-1856. https://archives.lib.umn.edu/repositories/4/resources/3280
  12. ^ a b c d e Helbig, Alethea; Perkins, Agnes (1986). 'Dictionary of American Children's Fiction, 1960-1984: Recent Books of Recognized Merit', Volume 2. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-25233-5.
  13. ^ a b Pollack, Pamela D. (December 1979). "Best of the Best". School Library Journal. 26 (4): 61–69.
  14. ^ Wilton, Shirley M. (May 1977). "Until the Celebration (Book Review)". School Library Journal. 23 (9): 72.
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