Kathleen Karr
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Karr is an American author of historical novels for children and young adults. She is the winner of the Golden Kite Award
, for her work The Boxer.
, where her family owned a chicken farm. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from Catholic University
in 1968 and a master's degree in English literature from Providence College
in 1971. She was married to Lawrence F. Karr from 1968 until his death in 2007. They have two children, Suzanne Karr Schmidt, born in 1978, and Daniel Karr, born in 1983.
, working at the newly formed American Film Institute
in 1971. After a year there, she worked for the Circle Theatre
chain until her daughter was born. She wrote her first novel, Light of My Heart in 1984. After her young children asked her to write a story for them, she published her first children's book, It Ain't Always Easy (1990), and began a full-time career writing for children and young adults. In her novel The Great Turkey Walk she depicts the movement of poultry from county to county where poultry was walked from Union
in Monroe County
to the stockpens in much the same way it was done for centuries. She is the author of Gilbert and Sullivan
Set Me Free about women's prison. Based on a historical event in 1914, the inmates of Sherborn Women's Prison in Massachusetts, U.S., put on a performance of The Pirates of Penzance
. In the novel, the prison's chaplain uses the transformative power of music and theater to help reform the inmates, bringing them together to work on the show as a spirited community
Karr is the author of more than two dozen historical novels for children and young adults. Known for their period details and historical accuracy, most of her books take place in the nineteenth or early twentieth centuries.
for best Children's/YA Mystery of the Year for The Seventh Knot; the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) 2000 Golden Kite Award for Best Fiction for The Boxer; and the ALA Notable and Best Books for Young Adults commendations for her other works. The Great Turkey Walk was chosen as Best Book of the Year by both Publishers Weekly
and School Library Journal
.
Karr is also a member and former president of the Children's Book Guild of Washington, D.C., and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
.
Golden Kite Award
The Golden Kite Awards are given annually by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators to recognize excellence in children’s literature. Instituted in 1972, the Golden Kite Awards are the only children’s literary award judged by a jury of peers...
, for her work The Boxer.
Personal
Karr grew up in Dorothy, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, where her family owned a chicken farm. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from Catholic University
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in 1968 and a master's degree in English literature from Providence College
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
in 1971. She was married to Lawrence F. Karr from 1968 until his death in 2007. They have two children, Suzanne Karr Schmidt, born in 1978, and Daniel Karr, born in 1983.
Career
Karr lived in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, working at the newly formed American Film Institute
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
in 1971. After a year there, she worked for the Circle Theatre
Circle Theatre
Circle Theatre or Circle Theater may refer to:*Armstrong Circle Theatre*Actors Circle Theatre*Magic Circle Theatre*Circle in the Square Theatre*Circle X Theatre*Circle in the Square Theatre School...
chain until her daughter was born. She wrote her first novel, Light of My Heart in 1984. After her young children asked her to write a story for them, she published her first children's book, It Ain't Always Easy (1990), and began a full-time career writing for children and young adults. In her novel The Great Turkey Walk she depicts the movement of poultry from county to county where poultry was walked from Union
Union, West Virginia
Union is a town in Monroe County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 548 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County.-History:...
in Monroe County
Monroe County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,583 people, 5,447 households, and 3,883 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 7,267 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
to the stockpens in much the same way it was done for centuries. She is the author of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
Set Me Free about women's prison. Based on a historical event in 1914, the inmates of Sherborn Women's Prison in Massachusetts, U.S., put on a performance of The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
. In the novel, the prison's chaplain uses the transformative power of music and theater to help reform the inmates, bringing them together to work on the show as a spirited community
Karr is the author of more than two dozen historical novels for children and young adults. Known for their period details and historical accuracy, most of her books take place in the nineteenth or early twentieth centuries.
Awards
She is the recipient of the 2003 Agatha AwardAgatha Award
The Agatha Awards are literary awards for mystery and crime writers who write via the same method as Agatha Christie...
for best Children's/YA Mystery of the Year for The Seventh Knot; the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) 2000 Golden Kite Award for Best Fiction for The Boxer; and the ALA Notable and Best Books for Young Adults commendations for her other works. The Great Turkey Walk was chosen as Best Book of the Year by both Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
and School Library Journal
School Library Journal
The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...
.
Karr is also a member and former president of the Children's Book Guild of Washington, D.C., and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators is a nonprofit, 5013 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers and others involved with literature for young people.The...
.
Titles
- Fortune's Fool (2008)
- Born for Adventure (2007)
- Worlds Apart (2005)
- Mama Went to Jail for the Vote (2005)
- Exiled: Memoirs of a Camel (2004)
- Gilbert & Sullivan Set Me Free (2003)
- The 7th Knot (2003)
- Bone Dry (2002)
- Playing With Fire (2001)
- The Boxer (2000)
- It Happened In the White House (2000)
- Skullduggery (2000)
- Man of the Family (1999)
- The Great Turkey Walk (1998)
- Oregon, Sweet Oregon (1998)
- Lighthouse Mermaid (1998)
- Gold Rush Phoebe (1998)
- Phoebe's Folly (1997)
- Spy in the Sky (1997)
- Go West, Young Women (1997)
- In The Kaiser's Clutch (1995)
- Oh, Those Harper Girls (1995)
- The Cave (1994)
- The Promised Land (1993)
- Gideon and the Mummy Professor (1993)
- It Ain't Always Easy (1990)
External links
- http://www.scbwi.org/ Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
- http://awards.omnimystery.com/mystery-awards-agathas.html Best Children's/Young Adult Mystery
- http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/data/authors/pdf/Karr87.pdf Hyperion Books for Children