Patricia Reilly Giff
Encyclopedia
Patricia Reilly Giff was born on April 26, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. She is an author
and teacher
. She was educated at Marymount College
, where she was awarded a B.A. degree, and St. John's University, where she earned an M.A. and Hofstra University
, where she was awarded a Professional Diploma in Reading and a Doctorate of Humane Letters. After spending some twenty years as a full time teacher, she began writing, specializing in children's literature
. Giff now resides in Weston
, Connecticut
, along with her husband James and their three children. Giff's writing workshops have influenced other children's authors such as Tony Abbott
and Elise Broach
.
but terrible in reading. Some novels in the series also feature Emily's younger sister Stacy as the central character.
Books in the series include:
Plot: Elizabeth Mollahan—the main character of Lily's Crossing—lost her mom when she was young, so her father and a grandmother are her only family. Every summer the three of them flee New York City for a beach house in New York's Rockaways. She looks forward to this trip every year, and hopes to spend a fun summer with the small family she loves and cherishes. This year though, Lily's father announces that he's enlisted in the Army and days later, he is gone for a while. Just days after her father's departure, Lily's friend announces that her family is moving away because of the war. Alone with her grandmother, Lily sees a long, treacherous summer ahead. Soon after, Albert appears. A refugee from Hungary, his family thrown to the winds, he lost his whole family when nazi's invaded his house, leaving him and his younger sister orphans. Young Albert bears a grief and sadness of his own because his sister, Ruth, is in France and his grandmother is in Hungary. While learning to deal with the situation of having her best friend gone, she is befriends Albert, and makes her summer a little more worthwhile.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
. She was educated at Marymount College
Marymount College
"Marymount College" may refer to:* Marymount College, a Roman Catholic school located in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia* Marymount College, a Roman Catholic school located in Adelaide, South Australia...
, where she was awarded a B.A. degree, and St. John's University, where she earned an M.A. and Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
, where she was awarded a Professional Diploma in Reading and a Doctorate of Humane Letters. After spending some twenty years as a full time teacher, she began writing, specializing in children's literature
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
. Giff now resides in Weston
Weston, Connecticut
Weston is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The population was 10,179 at the 2010 census. The town is served by Route 57 and Route 53, both of which run through the town center. About 19% of the town's workforce commutes to New York City, about to the southwest.Like many towns in...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, along with her husband James and their three children. Giff's writing workshops have influenced other children's authors such as Tony Abbott
Tony Abbott (Author)
Tony Abbott is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books...
and Elise Broach
Elise Broach
Elise Broach is an author from Easton, Connecticut. Among Broach's publications are the acclaimed novels Shakespeare's Secret, Desert Crossing and Masterpiece...
.
Polk Street School Series
Giff's series of children's books about the kids from Polk Street School has proven popular and won critical acclaim (1). The stories revolve around second-grade teacher Ms. Rooney and the students in her class, in particular perpetual troublemaker Richard Best (nicknamed "Beast") and Emily Arrow, who is good in mathMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
but terrible in reading. Some novels in the series also feature Emily's younger sister Stacy as the central character.
Books in the series include:
- The Beast in Ms. Rooney's Room (1984) - Richard "Beast" Best must repeat his second-grade year, and between the teasing from his former classmates and having to take classes with "babies," his new school year is off to a miserable start.
- Fish Face (1984) - Emily is excited to make friends with Dawna, the new girl from FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, until a good-luck charm of Emily's is stolen and Emily discovers that Dawn is the theif. Made into a musical by ArtsPower. - The Valentine Star (1985) - Emily reports her classmate Sherri for misbehaving in class, and Sherri vows revenge.
- Lazy Lions, Lucky Lambs (1985) - Richard has trouble with a writing assignment, since writing is his worst subject.
- Snaggle Doodles (1985) - Ms. Rooney assigns her students to groups to come up with inventions, and Emily clashes with Linda, the bossy leader of her group.
- Purple Climbing Days (1985) - Richard struggles with rope-climbing in physical education class.
- Say "Cheese" (1985) - Summer vacation is about to begin, but Emily is lonely and depressed because she doesn't have a best friend.
- Pickle Puss (1986) - Emily and her friend/rival Dawn compete in a book-reading contest to determine who will get to keep Pickle Puss, the stray cat they found.
- Sunny Side Up (1986) - Beast and his friends Emily and Matthew attend summer school.
- The Candy Corn Contest (1987) - Mrs. Rooney offers a jar of candy cornCandy cornCandy corn is a confection in the United States and Canada, popular primarily in autumn around Halloween . Candy corn was created in the 1880s by George Renninger of the Wunderle Candy Company; the three colors of the candy mimic the appearance of kernels of corn...
as a prize for whoever correctly guesses the number of candies in the jar. - In the Dinosaur's Paw (1987) - Richard is convinced that the ruler he found in his desk has magical powers, and is mortified when it disappears.
- December Secrets (1987) - Emily is assigned the irritating class "crybaby," Jiliannel Simon, as a "secret pal" for the month of December.
- Watch Out! Man-Eating Snake! (1988) - On the first day of school, Stacy tries to make friends with her classmate Jiwon, with disastrous results.
- All About Stacy (1988) - Stacy tries to think of something special to go in her "About Me Box" project.
- Fancy Feet (1988) - When Jiwon's pair of gold shoes disappears, the whole class accuses Stacy of stealing the shoes.
- B-E-S-T Friends (1988) - Annie, the "weird" new girl in class, constantly irritates Stacy, but then Stacy is assigned to be her class partner.
- Spectacular Stone Soup (1988) - Stacy begins a campaign to be more helpful, beginning with her class's Stone SoupStone soupStone Soup is an old folk story in which hungry strangers persuade local people of a town to give them food. It is usually told as a lesson in cooperation, especially amid scarcity. In varying traditions, the stone has been replaced with other common inedible objects, and therefore the fable is...
project. - Garbage Juice for Breakfast (1989) - Dawn participates in a treasure hunt at summer camp.
- The Case of the Cool Itch Kid (1989) - When some of Dawn's prized possessions turn up missing at summer camp, she suspects the students from a rival school of being thieves.
- The Beast and the Halloween Horror (1990) - Beast finds himself in trouble after he fudges a letter-writing assignment.
- Emily Arrow Promises to Do Better This Year (1990) - Emily makes a New Year's resolution she finds difficult to keep.
- Monster Rabbit Runs Amuck! (1991) - Beast and his friend Matthew accidentally ruin a prop for the school spring assembly.
- Look Out, Washington D.C.! (1995) - Ms. Rooney takes her class on a trip to the United States' capital city.
- Next Stop, New York City! (1997) - Ms. Rooney takes her class on a trip to New York City.
Lily's Crossing
Awards: (Newbery Honor 1998)Plot: Elizabeth Mollahan—the main character of Lily's Crossing—lost her mom when she was young, so her father and a grandmother are her only family. Every summer the three of them flee New York City for a beach house in New York's Rockaways. She looks forward to this trip every year, and hopes to spend a fun summer with the small family she loves and cherishes. This year though, Lily's father announces that he's enlisted in the Army and days later, he is gone for a while. Just days after her father's departure, Lily's friend announces that her family is moving away because of the war. Alone with her grandmother, Lily sees a long, treacherous summer ahead. Soon after, Albert appears. A refugee from Hungary, his family thrown to the winds, he lost his whole family when nazi's invaded his house, leaving him and his younger sister orphans. Young Albert bears a grief and sadness of his own because his sister, Ruth, is in France and his grandmother is in Hungary. While learning to deal with the situation of having her best friend gone, she is befriends Albert, and makes her summer a little more worthwhile.
External links
- http://www.randomhouse.com/features/patriciareillygiff/ Random House Author page