Nancy Farmer (author)
Encyclopedia
Nancy Farmer is a prominent children's book author from the United States
.
Farmer was born in Phoenix, Arizona
. She earned her B.A. at Reed College
(1963) and later studied chemistry and entomology at the University of California, Berkeley. She enlisted in the Peace Corps
(1963–1965), and subsequently worked in Mozambique and Zimbabwe
(where she studied biological methods of controlling the tsetse fly
- 1975–1978). She met her future husband, Harold Farmer, at the university in Harare. After a week-long courtship, the two were married. Farmer currently lives in the Chiricahua Mountains
of Arizona with her husband; they have one son, Daniel.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Farmer was born in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. She earned her B.A. at Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
(1963) and later studied chemistry and entomology at the University of California, Berkeley. She enlisted in the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
(1963–1965), and subsequently worked in Mozambique and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
(where she studied biological methods of controlling the tsetse fly
Tsetse fly
Tsetse , sometimes spelled tzetze and also known as tik-tik flies, are large biting flies that inhabit much of mid-continental Africa between the Sahara and the Kalahari deserts. They live by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals and are the primary biological vectors of trypanosomes, which...
- 1975–1978). She met her future husband, Harold Farmer, at the university in Harare. After a week-long courtship, the two were married. Farmer currently lives in the Chiricahua Mountains
Chiricahua Mountains
The Chiricahua Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern Arizona which are part of the Basin and Range province of the southwest, and part of the Coronado National Forest...
of Arizona with her husband; they have one son, Daniel.
Novels and novelette
- The Mirror (novellaNovellaA novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
) (1987) - Lorelei: The Story of a Bad Cat (1987)
- Do You Know Me (1993)
- The Ear, the Eye and the ArmThe Ear, the Eye and the ArmThe Ear, the Eye, and the Arm is a Newbery Honor book written by Nancy Farmer. It takes place in Zimbabwe in the year 2194.The book combines elements of science-fiction, Afrofuturism and African culture, and depicts the struggle of a notorious general's three children to escape from their...
(1994) - A Girl Named DisasterA Girl Named DisasterA Girl Named Disaster is a 1996 novel by Nancy Farmer. In 1997, Farmer won the Newbery Honor for the novel, which was also a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature...
(1996) - The Warm Place (1996)
- The House of the ScorpionThe House of the ScorpionThe House of the Scorpion is a science fiction novel by Nancy Farmer. It is about a young boy named Matteo Alacrán who is being raised by a drug lord of the same name, usually referred to by his assumed title "El Patrón" throughout the text. It is a story about the struggle to survive as a free...
(2002)
The Sea of Trolls Trilogy
- The Sea of TrollsThe Sea of TrollsThe Sea of Trolls is the first volume of a fantasy trilogy by three-time Newbery Honor winning author Nancy Farmer. The second part is The Land of the Silver Apples , and the final volume, The Islands of the Blessed, was published in 2009.-Plot summary:The Sea of Trolls is set in A.D. 793 in...
(2004) - The Land of the Silver ApplesThe Land of the Silver ApplesThe Land of the Silver Apples is a children's fantasy novel by Nancy Farmer, published in 2007. It is a sequel to The Sea of Trolls, and a sequel, The Islands of the Blessed, was published in 2009. The title refers to Elfland.-Plot:...
(2007) - The Islands of the BlessedThe Islands of the BlessedWith The Islands of the Blessed Nancy Farmer concludes the series of novels that began with The Sea of Trolls and continued with The Land of the Silver Apples...
(2009)
Picture Books
- Runnery Granary: A Mystery Must Be Solved—Or the Grain is Lost!, illustrated by Jos. A. Smith (1996)
- Casey Jones's Fireman: The Story of Sim Webb, illustrated by James Bernardin (1999)
- Clever Ali, illustrated by Gail De Marcken (2006)
Short stories
- “Tapiwa’s Uncle” - in CricketCricket (magazine)Cricket is an illustrated literary magazine for children published in the United States, founded in September 1973 by Marianne Carus, whose intent was to create "The New Yorker for children." Marianne Carus still serves as the magazine's editor-in-chief.Each issue of Cricket is 64 pages...
(February 1992) - "Origami Mountain" - in The Year's Best Fantasy and HorrorYear's Best Fantasy and HorrorYear's Best Fantasy and Horror is a reprint anthology published annually by St. Martin's Press. In addition to the short stories, supplemented by a list of honorable mentions, each edition includes a number of retrospective essays by the editors and others....
: Sixth Annual Collection (1992) - "Falada: the Goose Girl's Horse" - in A Wolf At the Door, eds. Ellen DatlowEllen DatlowEllen Datlow is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist.-Biography:Datlow was the fiction editor of Omni magazine and Omni Online from 1981 through 1998, and edited the ten associated Omni anthologies...
and Terri WindlingTerri WindlingTerri Windling is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. Windling has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and her collection The Armless Maiden appeared on the short-list for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award...
(2000) - "Remember Me" - in Firebirds: An Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction, ed. Sharyn NovemberSharyn NovemberSharyn November is an American editor of books for children and teenagers. She is Senior Editor for Viking Children's Books and Editorial Director of Firebird Books, which is a mainly paperback imprint publishing fantasy and science fiction for teenagers and adults...
(2003) - "Bella's Birthday Present" - in Can You Keep a Secret, ed. Lois Metzger (2007)
- "The Mole Cure" - in Fantasy and Science Fiction (August 2007)
- "Ticket to Ride" - in Firebirds Soaring: An Anthology of Original Speculative Fiction, ed. Sharyn NovemberSharyn NovemberSharyn November is an American editor of books for children and teenagers. She is Senior Editor for Viking Children's Books and Editorial Director of Firebird Books, which is a mainly paperback imprint publishing fantasy and science fiction for teenagers and adults...
(2008) - "Castle Othello" - in Troll's Eye View, eds. Ellen DatlowEllen DatlowEllen Datlow is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist.-Biography:Datlow was the fiction editor of Omni magazine and Omni Online from 1981 through 1998, and edited the ten associated Omni anthologies...
and Terri WindlingTerri WindlingTerri Windling is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. Windling has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, the Bram Stoker Award, and her collection The Armless Maiden appeared on the short-list for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award...
(2009)
Awards
- 1995, Newbery Honor for The Ear, the Eye and the Arm (1994)
- 1996, National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
(U.S.) Finalist, Young People's Literature category, for A Girl Named Disaster (1996) - 1997, Newbery Honor for A Girl Named Disaster (1996)
- 2002, National Book AwardNational Book AwardThe National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
(U.S.), Winner, Young People's Literature category, for The House of the Scorpion (2002) - 2003, Newbery Honor for The House of the Scorpion (2002)
- 2003, Buxtehuder Bulle (Germany) for The House of the Scorpion (2002)
- 2003, PrintzMichael L. Printz AwardThe Michael L. Printz Award is an annual award in the United States for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a school librarian from Topeka, Kansas, who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association...
Honor for The House of the Scorpion (2002)