Virginia Hamilton 1936-2002


The Virginia Hamilton Conference was established to provide a forum for the discussion of cultural themes and issues in literature for children and young adults.  Appropriately, the conference honors Virginia Hamilton. The recipient of nearly every major award and honor in her field, Virginia Hamilton is one of today’s most distinguished writers for children and young adults. Critic Betsy Hearne wrote in Twentieth Century Children’s Writers that Virginia Hamilton “has heightened the standards for children’s literature as few other authors have,” and Entertainment Weekly has called her “a majestic presence in children’s literature.”

Read about Virginia Hamilton's Awards and Honors
 

Cousins, a novel praised by Booklist for “...astonishing moments of betrayal and redemption,” was selected a Best Book of 1990 by Parenting Magazine, a Best Book for Young Adults and a Notable Children’s Book by the American Library Association, and a Pick of the Lists by American Bookseller. The Girl Who Spun Gold, a West Indian version of "Rumpelstiltskin,” lavishly illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, has been added to a remarkable list of critically acclaimed books. Arilla Sun Down, lauded by Kirkus Reviews  for its “Dazzling, uncommon impact,” was a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. 
Bluish, a novel about a young girl suffering from leukemia, was published to rave reviews in 1999, the same year that saw the publication of the 25th anniversary edition of M. C. Higgins, the Great, with a new introduction by the author. The 15th anniversary edition of The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales, with a CD features Ms. Hamilton and James Earl Jones reading the tales

Visit Virginia Hamilton's Web Site