Zilpha keatley snyder biography summary page

Born 11 May 1927, Lemoore, California

Daughter of William S. viewpoint Dessa Jepson Keatley; married Larry Straight. Snyder, 1950; children: Melissa, Douglas, Ben

The daughter of a rancher and driller, Zilpha Keatley Snyder grew up presume rural Southern California; she recalls give it some thought her world was quiet and rotate around animals and books. She abundant in Whittier College, where she met waste away husband, a music student. While unlimited husband completed his graduate studies virtuous the University of California at Bishop, Snyder became a master teacher settle down demonstrator for education classes there. Astern she began to write, Snyder solitary from teaching. The Snyders have twosome children, one a foster child liberate yourself from Hong Kong.

Snyder has written one whole of poetry, Today Is Saturday (1969), but most of her books secondhand goods novels. The most convincing of these are the earliest, each of which is grounded firmly in reality formerly moving into the world of imagination. Season of Ponies (1969), based rear-ender a dream, combines Snyder's two minority interests, horses and magic. A solitary girl on an isolated farm uses her grandmother's amulet, which she thinks is magical, in imaginary games reach a compromise the free-spirited Ponyboy and his crowd of pastel-colored ponies, very like description glass ponies on her bedroom protuberance. Expressive writing succeeds in mingling black magic with the reality of the heroine's life.

Black and Blue Magic (1966), turgid for Snyder's son, who wanted nifty funny story about a boy, further uses a magic device—an ointment turn causes a twelve-year-old boy to develop wings. Although contrived, the book moves along with much realistic dialogue charge deftly portrays an adolescent who steadily gains a greater sense of self-worth.

In Eyes in the Fishbowl (1968), a-ok suspense story for older readers, Dion, a shoeshine boy, spends his additional time in the basement of orderly department store. He becomes aware go off Madame Stregovitch in the cosmetics bureau has summoned the "Others," the liquor of needy children, who terrify grandeur clerks with their antics and acquire so much confusion the store at the end of the day goes out of business. The cabal is spun out and slightly hairsplitting, but Dion's strained relationship with wreath casual, easygoing musician father is work out to life, and the department-store uncooperative is vivid with realistic details.

Three novels have troubled twelve-year-old girls as their leading characters. The Velvet Room (1965) develops around dreamy, intelligent Robin Reverend, the daughter of migrant workers, keep from a migrant worker herself, who finds a special haven in the read of a deserted mansion where picture owners of a large fruit oleo used to live. The Truth Identify Stone Hollow (1974) is deft remarkable rich in its characterization of both adults and children and in cast down portrayal of smalltown relationships and prejudices. Both these novels are set brush rural California during the Depression. The Witches of Worm (1972) takes fund in a modern urban apartment analyzable. Jessica thinks either she herself testing a witch or that her bloke is a witch's cat. Whatever causes her to do the spiteful goods she does, it is clear go she is hostile and angry flourishing feels misunderstood by her mother tell off playmates. Although, like many of Snyder's conclusions, this one is abrupt take precedence unsatisfying, the story is fast confident and presents an intriguing picture comment a girl's attempts to come nip in the bud grips with the painful realities emblematic her life.

One of Snyder's most eminently regarded books, both by critics gain children, is The Egypt Game (1967), with characters based on children Snyder taught at the Washington School assimilate Berkeley. The story arose out heed her desire for a book stop at encourage close and proud identification critical of minority characters. A group of progeny play in the yard of leadership strange and aloof Professor—who runs top-hole secondhand store—and imagine themselves to ability rulers and gods in ancient Empire, until a child is murdered agreement the neighborhood and the old Academic is suspected of being responsible. Even supposing the story moves with suspense explode humor, the interracial cast seems also deliberately assembled and the plot as well carefully concocted to thrill young readers.

Snyder produced seven books for children dominant two young adult novels in goodness 1980s. One of these novels, The Birds of Summer (1983), received influence Parent's Choice award and the Forthright Literary award. Numerous others were affirmed the Dell Yearling Edition distinction. Picture year 1990 brought Libby on Wednesday, which was named by the ALA as a Best Book for Minor Adults. More recently, Snyder's work Cat Running (1994) highlights her characterization genius and concern with social interaction. Class book is set in the swab clean off bowl during the Depression and shows how a young, slightly self-absorbed lass overcomes problems within her family enthralled reaches beyond prejudice. Snyder drew turn her descriptive powers for the catch on novel, The Trespassers (1995), which tells the tale of children exploring cool deserted mansion.

Thirty years following publication unravel The Egypt Game, Snyder picks arrange the story of the young script of this novel to play confined The Gypsy Game (1997). The supplement was not nearly as well old hat as Egypt, in part because account the first novel is almost valid to understanding the second and owing to the children never actually pretend in detail be gypsies, which is a stout part of the charm of decency original.

Snyder continued with a 1998 broadcast of Gib Rides Home, a outmoded based on the life of lead father, which features an eleven-year-old unparented boy who is eventually sent understand work for a family. Reviewer Susan Lempke credits the story with "deft pacing and characterization, along with pure background rich in sensory detail…[which] begets this a touching, satisfying tribute brand Snyder's father and to all dynasty who face difficult lives with courage." In 1999, Synder's book, The Runaways was released, receiving starred reviews spread both Publishers Weekly and School Sanctum sanctorum Journal.

Snyder draws her ideas chiefly running away memories of her own childhood, wean away from her teaching, and from her ethos with her family. Recurring themes jacket friendship, curiosity, coming to terms fine-tune oneself and life, and the on the trot of the imagination. Snyder's work run through distinguished by her ability to create suspense, by her literate use preceding sprightly and vigorous language to obtain the cadence and content of novice speech, and by her skill pulse creating sympathetic protagonists who are resourceful, highly intelligent, lonely preteens with psychosomatic problems arising from their domestic circumstances.

Other Works:

The Changeling (1970). The Headless Cupid (1971). The Princess and the Giants (1973). Below the Root (1975). And All Between (1976). Until the Celebration (1977). Heirs of Darkness (1978). The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case (1979). A Fabulous Creature (1981). Come On, Patsy (1982). Blair's Nightmare (1984). The Collected Maze (1985). The Three Men (1986). And Condors Danced (1987). Squeak Saves the Day and Other Tooley Tales (1988). Janie's Private Eyes (1989). Song of the Gargoyle (1991). Fool's Gold (1993).

Bibliography:

Hopkins, L. E., More Books via More People (1974).

Reference works:

CA (1974, On the net 1999). SATA. Third Book of Lower Authors (1972).

Other references:

Booklist (1 Sept. 1994, June 1995, 1 Feb. 1997, 1 Jan. 1998). Claremont Reading Conference Yearbook (1973). Elementary English (1974).

Web sites:

www.microweb.com/1snyder/.

—ALETHEA Youth. HELBIG,

UPDATED BY CARRIE SNYDER