Sally Watson
Encyclopedia
Sally Watson is an America
n author best known for her English Family Tree series, which encompasses generations of a family with roots in England and Scotland.
. She began writing fiction in 1953; while doing so she worked for Great Books
and co-wrote the audio-visual reading course, Listen and Learn with Phonics
. In 1964 she moved to England, where she lived for 24 years, writing meticulously researched juvenile historical fiction featuring feisty and adventurous heroines, such as Jade, which were published by Henry Holt and Company
. Her other activities included Scottish highland dance
, teaching Judo
, in which she earned a black belt, and Mensa International
. The publishing climate for juvenile fiction eventually changed, and by the mid-1970s her books had gone out of print.
Sally eventually returned to the United States, taking up residence in Santa Rosa, California
, where she became active in feral cat
rescue organizations. All the while her fans were pleading for her books to be republished; eventually Image Cascade reprinted many of the novels. Sally continues to add to her English family tree series and has also published several young adult novels set in Ancient Egypt
. Her most recent books are The Angry Earth, a story of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811, and Tailwavers, a story for all catlovers, told in part through a series of letters.
Further information about Sally can be found in Something About the Author.
Witch of the Glens was on the Horn Book Magazine
honor list in 1963.
The Mukhtar's Children was named as a Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Best Book of the Year in 1969.
Magic at Wychwood was recommended by Library Journal
in 1970.
Linnet was a Junior Literary Guild
selection in 1971.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n author best known for her English Family Tree series, which encompasses generations of a family with roots in England and Scotland.
Biography
Sally Watson was born in Seattle, Washington and is an alumna of Reed CollegeReed 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...
. She began writing fiction in 1953; while doing so she worked for Great Books
Great Books
Great Books refers primarily to a group of books that tradition, and various institutions and authorities, have regarded as constituting or best expressing the foundations of Western culture ; derivatively the term also refers to a curriculum or method of education based around a list of such books...
and co-wrote the audio-visual reading course, Listen and Learn with Phonics
Phonics
Phonics refers to a method for teaching speakers of English to read and write that language. Phonics involves teaching how to connect the sounds of spoken English with letters or groups of letters and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciations...
. In 1964 she moved to England, where she lived for 24 years, writing meticulously researched juvenile historical fiction featuring feisty and adventurous heroines, such as Jade, which were published by Henry Holt and Company
Henry Holt and Company
Henry Holt and Company is an American book publishing company. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt...
. Her other activities included Scottish highland dance
Scottish highland dance
The term Highland dance or Highland dancing is used today to refer to a style of athletic solo dancing which developed in the Gaelic Highlands of Scotland...
, teaching Judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, in which she earned a black belt, and Mensa International
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
. The publishing climate for juvenile fiction eventually changed, and by the mid-1970s her books had gone out of print.
Sally eventually returned to the United States, taking up residence in Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
, where she became active in feral cat
Feral cat
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
rescue organizations. All the while her fans were pleading for her books to be republished; eventually Image Cascade reprinted many of the novels. Sally continues to add to her English family tree series and has also published several young adult novels set in Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
. Her most recent books are The Angry Earth, a story of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811, and Tailwavers, a story for all catlovers, told in part through a series of letters.
Further information about Sally can be found in Something About the Author.
English family tree series
The historical novels Sally Watson has laid in Great Britain and America are separate and complete, yet are united by a family tree. They romp across four centuries, from 1582 London to 1892 Northern California. No one gets a starring role twice, but main characters sometimes reappear in another book in a relatively minor role as grandparent, sibling, cousin, lover or even a wayward eyebrow. The predominant family trait seems to be producing and marrying strong-willed women. Though the protagonists range in age from eleven to adult, and some are specifically juvenile and others definitely adult, the characterization, vocabulary, and plotting are appropriate to all ages from—say—eleven up.- Highland Rebel (1954)
- Mistress Malapert (1955)
- Witch of the Glens (1962)
- Lark (1962)
- The Hornet's Nest (1968)
- Jade (1969)
- Linnet (1971)
- The Outrageous Oriel (2006) (Young adult)
- Loyal and the Dragon (2008) (Young adult)
- Castle Adamant (2009) (Young adult)
Juvenile historical novels
- To Build a Land (1957)
- Poor Felicity (1961)
- Other Sandals (1966)
- The Mukhtar's Children (1968)
- Magic at Wychwood (1970)
- The Wayward Princess (2006)
- The Delicate Pioneer (2007)
- The Haunted Schoolhouse (2007)
Adult novels
- The Ivory Cat (2007)
- The Missing Queen (2008)
- The Angry Earth (2009)
Honors
To Build a Land won the Woodward Annual Award in 1959.Witch of the Glens was on the Horn Book Magazine
Horn Book Magazine
The Horn Book Magazine, founded in Boston in 1924, is a bimonthly periodical about literature for children and young adults. It began life as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietresses of the country's first bookstore for children, The...
honor list in 1963.
The Mukhtar's Children was named as a Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Best Book of the Year in 1969.
Magic at Wychwood was recommended by Library Journal
Library Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
in 1970.
Linnet was a Junior Literary Guild
Junior Literary Guild
The Junior Literary Guild was the name of a commercial book club devoted to juvenile literature that has become the contemporary Junior Library Guild. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, which was an adult book club created in 1927 by Samuel W. Craig and Harold...
selection in 1971.