Virginia Hamilton

Virginia Hamilton ( born March 12, 1936 in Yellow Springs, Ohio; † 19 February 2002) was an American children's book author.

Virginia Hamiliton grew up as the youngest child of five siblings in Yellow Springs, Ohio. She studied at the Antioch College and then attended the Ohio State University, where she received her degree in literature. In 1958 she moved to New York. There she met Arnold Adoff, whom she married in 1960. The marriage produced a daughter and a son emerged. 1967 Hamiliton published her first book, Zeely.

Her principal work MC Higgins, the Great, in 1974 won the National Book Award and in 1975 with the Newbery Medal. It tells of the Black Mayo Cornelius Higgins, who knows that he has to go out of this country to which his great-grandmother Sarah had fled as a slave. He hopes, therefore, the songs collector Lewis, who wants to record the voice of MC's mother. Because Banina has the most beautiful voice far and wide and still knows the old songs of the blacks. But only by the girl Lurhetta, which totally undermine it, MC is finally realized that running away is not a solution.

Virginia Hamilton's extensive body of work includes picture books and collections of folk tales as well as genres such as mystery and science fiction. Her books have been repeatedly honored with the Coretta Scott King Award three times, she received the Boston Globe / Horn Book Award. In 1992, she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award. In 1995 she was awarded the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association for great achievements in children's literature.

Virginia Hamilton died in 2002 from breast cancer.

Awards

Works (selection)

• Zeely, 1967
• MC Higgins the Great (German MC Higgins, the Great)
• The House of Dies Drear
• The Planet of Junior Brown (Eng. The Planet of Patrick Brown, 1975, translated by Jeannie Ebner )
• Plain City
• Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed
• The People Could Fly
• Justice Cycle