Jean Fritz was born 16 November 1915 and died 14 May 2017.
Quotes
- When I discovered libraries, it was like having Christmas every day.
- My interest in writing about American history stemmed originally, I think, from a subconscious desire to find roots — I felt like a girl without a country.’
- Only when a book is written out of passion is there much hope of its being read with passion.
- I kept thinking as a child that there was more than I was being told, more than just dates and wars. I wanted to get acquainted with the people.
- The question I am most often asked, is how do I find my ideas? The answer is: I don’t. Ideas find me. A character in history will suddenly step right out of the past and demand a book.
- My mother had been a Latin teacher, and she was always very fascinated with words. She and I shared books and responded to them.
- As a biographer, I try to uncover the adventures and personalities behind each character I research. Once my character and I have reached an understanding, then I begin the detective work reading old books, old letters, old newspapers, and visiting the places where my subject lived. Often I turn up surprises, and of course, I pass them on.
Jean Fritz was an American children’s writer. She wrote about her childhood in China in Homesick: My Own Story, which was a Newbery Honor Book and winner of the National Book Award. She won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her career contribution to American children’s literature in 1986.
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