Cynthia Voigt
Encyclopedia
Cynthia Voigt is an American
author of books for young adults dealing with various topics such as adventure, mystery, racism and child abuse. Her first book in the Tillerman family series, Homecoming
, was nominated for several international prizes and made into a 1996 film. Her novel Dicey's Song
won the 1983 Newbery Medal
.
in Massachusetts and worked in advertising in New York City
. In 1964, she married and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico
, where she started teaching. After divorcing in 1972, she taught high school English in Glen Burnie, Maryland
, and elementary English in Annapolis. She began writing again and remarried in 1974, to Walter Voigt, and is the mother of two children, Peter and Jessica.
follows the struggles of the eponymous family, beginning with Homecoming, in which one generation of Tillerman children is abandoned by their mother. The young four-some must find their way to their estranged grandmother, under the leadership of thirteen year old Dicey, the eldest sibling and main character of the series. Four of the books are, however, centered on other characters--The Runner follows Dicey's uncle, Bullet. Come a Stranger and A Solitary Blue cover some of the same territory as Dicey's Song from the perspectives of Mina and Jeff, respectively, who are two of Dicey's friends. Sons from Afar focuses on Dicey's brothers, James and Sammy. Throughout Voigt's novels, she taps into the emotional aspects of the struggles of the Tillerman children, as well as the other protagonists of her novels, making the Tillerman cycle a series of books appropriate for all ages.
-like figure who is really just an archetype whose guise is donned by various nobles and commoners through the years.
The Kingdom books are connected by history and geography rather than the lifespan of any one character or family; though characters in later novels are sometimes descended from characters in earlier novels, their adventures are usually the stuff of myth or distant memory.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of books for young adults dealing with various topics such as adventure, mystery, racism and child abuse. Her first book in the Tillerman family series, Homecoming
Homecoming (novel)
Homecoming is a young adult novel by American children's author Cynthia Voigt. It is the first of seven novels in the Tillerman Cycle. It was adapted into a for-TV film.-Plot introduction:...
, was nominated for several international prizes and made into a 1996 film. Her novel Dicey's Song
Dicey's Song
Dicey's Song is a novel by Cynthia Voigt. It won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1983.-Plot:Picking up where Homecoming left off, Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings, James, Maybeth, and Sammy, are now living with their widowed grandmother Abigail Tillerman,...
won the 1983 Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
.
Life
Cynthia Voigt was born Cynthia Irving February 25, 1942, in Boston, Massachusetts. She graduated from Smith CollegeSmith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in Massachusetts and worked in advertising in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In 1964, she married and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, where she started teaching. After divorcing in 1972, she taught high school English in Glen Burnie, Maryland
Glen Burnie, Maryland
Glen Burnie is a census-designated place in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States, and is a suburb of Baltimore. The population was 67,639 at the 2010 census...
, and elementary English in Annapolis. She began writing again and remarried in 1974, to Walter Voigt, and is the mother of two children, Peter and Jessica.
Works
- 1982 Tell Me If the Lovers Are Losers
- 1983 Callender Papers
- 1984 Building Blocks
- 1986 Izzy, Willy-Nilly
- 1986 Stories about Rosie
- 1988 Shore Writers’ Sampler II
- 1988 Tree by Leaf
- 1991 Glass Mountain
- 1991 The Vandemark Mummy
- 1992 David and Jonathan
- 1992 Orfe
- 1994 When She Hollers
- 2003 Good Morning Rosie
- 2005 Angus and Sadie
Tillerman Cycle
The Tillerman CycleTillerman Cycle
The Tillerman Cycle is a series of children's novels by the author Cynthia Voigt. Currently there are seven titles in the series.-Note on reading order:...
follows the struggles of the eponymous family, beginning with Homecoming, in which one generation of Tillerman children is abandoned by their mother. The young four-some must find their way to their estranged grandmother, under the leadership of thirteen year old Dicey, the eldest sibling and main character of the series. Four of the books are, however, centered on other characters--The Runner follows Dicey's uncle, Bullet. Come a Stranger and A Solitary Blue cover some of the same territory as Dicey's Song from the perspectives of Mina and Jeff, respectively, who are two of Dicey's friends. Sons from Afar focuses on Dicey's brothers, James and Sammy. Throughout Voigt's novels, she taps into the emotional aspects of the struggles of the Tillerman children, as well as the other protagonists of her novels, making the Tillerman cycle a series of books appropriate for all ages.
- 1981 HomecomingHomecoming (novel)Homecoming is a young adult novel by American children's author Cynthia Voigt. It is the first of seven novels in the Tillerman Cycle. It was adapted into a for-TV film.-Plot introduction:...
- 1982 Dicey's SongDicey's SongDicey's Song is a novel by Cynthia Voigt. It won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1983.-Plot:Picking up where Homecoming left off, Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings, James, Maybeth, and Sammy, are now living with their widowed grandmother Abigail Tillerman,...
- 1983 A Solitary BlueA Solitary BlueA Solitary Blue is a novel by Cynthia Voigt. It was a Newbery Honor book in 1984. It takes place before, during and after the events described in Dicey's Song, Voigt's 1983 Newbery Medal winner and Come a Stranger...
- 1985 The Runner
- 1986 Come a Stranger
- 1987 Sons from AfarSons from AfarSons From Afar is the sixth book in Cynthia Voigt's Tillerman Cycle, the series of novels dealing with Dicey Tillerman's family which also includes Homecoming, Dicey's Song , The Runner, A Solitary Blue, Come A Stranger, and Seventeen Against the Dealer.- Plot summary :With Dicey and her friends...
- 1989 Seventeen Against the DealerSeventeen Against the DealerSeventeen Against the Dealer is a young adult novel by American children's author Cynthia Voigt. It is the last of seven novels in the Tillerman Cycle.-Plot summary:Seventeen Against the Dealer is the final novel in the seven-part Tillerman Cycle...
Kingdom Series
The vast majority of Voigt's work is marked by a contemporary or historical setting and a realistic style. The "Kingdom" books break from the former, being set in an unspecified but apparently invented region in a circa-medieval period of historical development. While the world is invented, however, it remains realistic in its construction, and resembles in most respects a historically faithful period setting, rather than a sword and sorcerer fairyland. What myths are present in the Kingdom are usually seen to have historical basis; the first novel, Jackaroo, deals with such a myth—a Robin HoodRobin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
-like figure who is really just an archetype whose guise is donned by various nobles and commoners through the years.
The Kingdom books are connected by history and geography rather than the lifespan of any one character or family; though characters in later novels are sometimes descended from characters in earlier novels, their adventures are usually the stuff of myth or distant memory.
- 1985 Jackaroo
- 1990 On Fortune's Wheel
- 1993 The Wings of a Falcon
- 1999 Elske
Bad Girls Series
- 1996 Bad Girls
- 1997 Bad, Badder, Baddest"
- 2000 It’s Not Easy Being Bad
- 2002 Bad Girls in Love (Voigt Novel)
- 2003 From Bad To Worse then back to good
- 2006 Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do?
Short Stories
- 2011 "The Stepsister" included in the young adult anthology What You Wish For
Significance and awards
- Dicey's SongDicey's SongDicey's Song is a novel by Cynthia Voigt. It won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1983.-Plot:Picking up where Homecoming left off, Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings, James, Maybeth, and Sammy, are now living with their widowed grandmother Abigail Tillerman,...
: Newbery MedalNewbery MedalThe John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
1983 - The Callender Papers: Edgar Allan Poe AwardEdgar AwardThe Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
Young Adult category 1984 - The Runner: Deutscher JugendliteraturpreisDeutscher JugendliteraturpreisThe Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's literature. It is Germany's only state-funded literary award. In the past, authors from many countries...
Non-fiction book 1989 - On Fortune's Wheel: ALAAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
Best Book for Young Adults - A Solitary BlueA Solitary BlueA Solitary Blue is a novel by Cynthia Voigt. It was a Newbery Honor book in 1984. It takes place before, during and after the events described in Dicey's Song, Voigt's 1983 Newbery Medal winner and Come a Stranger...
: Newbery Honor Book 1984; Phoenix AwardPhoenix AwardThe Phoenix Award is awarded annually to a book originally published in English twenty years previously which did not receive a major award at the time of its publication....
Honor Book 2003