Linda Sue Park
Encyclopedia
Linda Sue Park is an American
author of children's fiction. Park published her first novel, Seesaw Girl, in 1999. She has written six children’s novels and five picture books. Park’s work achieved prominence when she received the prestigious 2002 Newbery Medal
for her novel A Single Shard
. She has written the ninth book in the 39 Clues series, Storm Warning
, published on May 25, 2010.
and grew up outside Chicago
. Linda Sue Park's parents immigrated to the United States
just after they were married in South Korea. Linda was soon forced to speak only English in the duration of her home and speaking Korean was especially forbidden. Park has been writing poetry and stories since the age of four. Park published her first poem when she was nine years old for Trailblazer magazine. Through elementary and high school, she continued to publish poems in magazines for children and young people. Linda was considered as an academically intelligent student, getting straight As in school. Ever since she was young, she struggled to make friends and encountered various emotional wounds especially when the others were talking about her. She would always relieve and alleviate this pressure by constantly going to the school library where she mostly spend during school break and lunch. She published her very first book in 1999, "Seesaw Girl".
Park competed on the gymnastics
team at Stanford University
and graduated with a high degree in English. She also obtained advanced degrees in literature from Trinity College
in Ireland and also from the University of London
.
In early 2011, Park made her visit to South Korea, where she initially went to Gyeonggi Suwon International School
for her personal and literary speeches of her life and also emphasizing the significance of reading to young people. Most of her short story books including "Seesaw Girl" and her book "A Single Shard" has been a popular source of class textbook in English lessons and being covered in lessons throughout the school curriculum.
Before writing her first book, Park worked at many jobs, including public relations
for a major oil firm, food journalism for British magazines and newspapers, and teaching English as a second language to college students. She currently serves on the board of directors for the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance
.
Park competed in the television
game show
Jeopardy!
on an episode aired October 20, 2006, where she finished in 3rd place—losing, ironically, on the final question from a category called "Literary Title Objects".
Park lives in Rochester, New York
with her Irish
husband and two children, Sean and Anna.
. With the exception of three picture books and two novels, all of Park’s books center upon Korean history and Korean culture. Her first three novels are set in ancient or medieval Korea
. However, her fourth novel, When My Name Was Keoko, is about the more recent history of Japanese occupation of Korea during World War II
. Project Mulberry occurs in a contemporary setting outside Chicago. Park’s book, Archer’s Quest, introduces to you a historical figure into modern times. Park shares her passion for baseball in her book, Keeping Score. Park's latest book, A Long Walk to Water features family friend Salva Dut and his childhood experience growing up in the Sudan as well as another character Niya who spends her entire day gathering and transporting water to her family.
Park researches her Korean heritage for her books, demonstrated by historical details within the story along with sections for author’s notes and bibliographies. Her topics feature characteristic elements of Korean culture, including: embroidery
(Seesaw Girl); kite fighting (The Kite Fighters); celadon
pottery
(A Single Shard); silkworms (Project Mulberry); Korean food (Bee-Bim Bop); and archery
(Archer’s Quest). She also continues to publish poetry.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of children's fiction. Park published her first novel, Seesaw Girl, in 1999. She has written six children’s novels and five picture books. Park’s work achieved prominence when she received the prestigious 2002 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. ...
for her novel A Single Shard
A Single Shard
A Single Shard is the winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal, awarded for excellence in children's literature; it also received an honorable mention from the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature...
. She has written the ninth book in the 39 Clues series, Storm Warning
Storm Warning (The 39 Clues)
Storm Warning is the ninth book in The 39 Clues series. It is written by Linda Sue Park and was released on May 25, 2010. The geographical coordinates that appear on the ship on the book's cover indicate a point about six kilometers southeast of Albert Town, Jamaica.The cover and title was...
, published on May 25, 2010.
Personal life
Park was born on March 25, 1960 in Urbana, IllinoisUrbana, Illinois
Urbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 41,250. Urbana is the tenth-most populous city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area....
and grew up outside Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Linda Sue Park's parents immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
just after they were married in South Korea. Linda was soon forced to speak only English in the duration of her home and speaking Korean was especially forbidden. Park has been writing poetry and stories since the age of four. Park published her first poem when she was nine years old for Trailblazer magazine. Through elementary and high school, she continued to publish poems in magazines for children and young people. Linda was considered as an academically intelligent student, getting straight As in school. Ever since she was young, she struggled to make friends and encountered various emotional wounds especially when the others were talking about her. She would always relieve and alleviate this pressure by constantly going to the school library where she mostly spend during school break and lunch. She published her very first book in 1999, "Seesaw Girl".
Park competed on the gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
team at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and graduated with a high degree in English. She also obtained advanced degrees in literature from Trinity College
Trinity College
-Australia:* Trinity Catholic College Lismore, a Catholic secondary school in New South Wales* Trinity College , part of the University of Melbourne, in Melbourne, Victoria* Trinity College, Gawler, Adelaide, South Australia...
in Ireland and also from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
.
In early 2011, Park made her visit to South Korea, where she initially went to Gyeonggi Suwon International School
Gyeonggi Suwon International School
The Gyeonggi Suwon International School opened its doors to 108 elementary and middle school students on September 16, 2006. The school is the result of a partnership between the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and Suwon City with Dr. Thomas J. Penland, Headmaster...
for her personal and literary speeches of her life and also emphasizing the significance of reading to young people. Most of her short story books including "Seesaw Girl" and her book "A Single Shard" has been a popular source of class textbook in English lessons and being covered in lessons throughout the school curriculum.
Before writing her first book, Park worked at many jobs, including public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
for a major oil firm, food journalism for British magazines and newspapers, and teaching English as a second language to college students. She currently serves on the board of directors for the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance
National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance
National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance is an American non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of literacy, literature, and libraries for young people...
.
Park competed in the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
Jeopardy!
Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
on an episode aired October 20, 2006, where she finished in 3rd place—losing, ironically, on the final question from a category called "Literary Title Objects".
Park lives in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
with her Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
husband and two children, Sean and Anna.
Themes
Park writes historical fictionHistorical fiction
Historical fiction tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional...
. With the exception of three picture books and two novels, all of Park’s books center upon Korean history and Korean culture. Her first three novels are set in ancient or medieval Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. However, her fourth novel, When My Name Was Keoko, is about the more recent history of Japanese occupation of Korea during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Project Mulberry occurs in a contemporary setting outside Chicago. Park’s book, Archer’s Quest, introduces to you a historical figure into modern times. Park shares her passion for baseball in her book, Keeping Score. Park's latest book, A Long Walk to Water features family friend Salva Dut and his childhood experience growing up in the Sudan as well as another character Niya who spends her entire day gathering and transporting water to her family.
Park researches her Korean heritage for her books, demonstrated by historical details within the story along with sections for author’s notes and bibliographies. Her topics feature characteristic elements of Korean culture, including: embroidery
Embroidery
Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
(Seesaw Girl); kite fighting (The Kite Fighters); celadon
Celadon
Celadon is a term for ceramics denoting both a type of glaze and a ware of a specific color, also called celadon. This type of ware was invented in ancient China, such as in the Zhejiang province...
pottery
Korean pottery
Korean ceramic history begins with the oldest earthenware from around 8000 BC.-Three Kingdoms pottery:-Goryeo Dynasty porcelain:The Goryeo Dynasty achieved the unification of the Later Three Kingdoms under King Taejo...
(A Single Shard); silkworms (Project Mulberry); Korean food (Bee-Bim Bop); and archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
(Archer’s Quest). She also continues to publish poetry.
A Long Walk to Water
A Long Walk to Water involves the true story of Salva Dut. Dut is currently involved in a program of his creation called Water for Sudan, which builds wells for villages in Sudan. Each well is also accompanied by building a school. If an organization or person donates $5000 or more, a quarter of the cost of a well, they receive a partial dedication of a well. Linda Sue Park is using her book as a platform for promoting this program.Fiction
- Seesaw Girl (1999)
- Children's Literature Choices, Best Book 2000 List
- The Kite Fighters (2000)
- Junior Library Guild Selection, Spring 2000
- Children's Literature Choices, Best Book 2001 List
- A Single ShardA Single ShardA Single Shard is the winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal, awarded for excellence in children's literature; it also received an honorable mention from the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature...
(2001)- 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. ...
2002 - Asian/Pacific American Awards for LiteratureAsian/Pacific American Awards for LiteratureThe Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature are a set of literary awards presented annually by the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association...
Honorable Mention
- Newbery Medal
- When My Name Was Keoko (2002)
- Jane Addams Honor citation
- The Firekeeper's Son (2004)
- James and Irma Black Honour, 2005
- Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, Best Illustration in Children's Literature
- Mung-Mung: A Foldout Book of Animal Sounds (2004)
- What Does Bunny See?: A Book of Colors and Flowers (2005)
- Yum! Yuck!: A Foldout Book of People Sounds From Around the World (2005)
- ALA Notable Children's Books, 2006http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/childrensnotable/notablecbooklist/currentnotable.htm
- Project Mulberry (2005)
- Chicago Tribune Young Adult Fiction Award
- Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, Honorable Mention
- Bee-bim Bop (2005)
- Archer's Quest (2006)
- Click: One novel ten authors, chapter one (2007)
- Storm WarningStorm Warning (The 39 Clues)Storm Warning is the ninth book in The 39 Clues series. It is written by Linda Sue Park and was released on May 25, 2010. The geographical coordinates that appear on the ship on the book's cover indicate a point about six kilometers southeast of Albert Town, Jamaica.The cover and title was...
(2010) - A Long Walk to WaterA Long Walk to WaterA Long Walk to Water is a short novel by Linda Sue Park. It includes the true story of Salva Dut, a Sudanese "Lost Boy", and the fictional story of Niya, a young girl living in a village in Sudan. Linda Sue Park is using this book as a platform to support Mr...
(2010)
Poetry
- "On Meeting a Poet," "Changing the Sheets," "Mobius," " Fourth-Grade Science Project," Avatar Review, Summer 1999
- "Handstand", Atlanta Review, Spring/Summer 2000
- "Seven Sins: Portrait of an Aristocratic Young Woman," "Irreversible Loyalty," "A Little World," "The Ramparts at Calvi," The Alsop Review
- "Armchair Journey," "Hyphen," Miller's Pond, Spring 2002
- "Picturing the Words," "When the Last Panda Died," "Tide Pool," Avatar Review, Summer 2008
External links
- Official website
- When My Name Was Keoko – book review
Articles
- "Linda Sue Park", The Horn Book Magazine, July/August 2002
- "Who Wrote That? Featuring Linda Sue Park, California Kids! October 2003
- "Linda Sue Park's Biography"
- "Linda Sue Park: A Teacher Found", Teaching PreK-8, Nov/Dec 2004
Interviews
- "An Interview with Linda Sue Park"
- "Linda Sue Park: Bookfest 02", A Library of Congress video webcast
- "Linda Sue Park Q & A"
- "Linda Sue Park's Interview Transcript from Scholastic
- "A Interview With Linda Sue Park", The Alsop Review
- "Linda Sue Park", DownHome Books
- "Author Update: Linda Sue Park"