("Bright Streets and Dark Paths", speech by Lois Lowry given at Brown University, Prividence, Rhode Island, March 4, 2001)
No bibliography of Lois Lowry's works would be complete without the inclusion of her two Newbery Award winning books, Number the Stars and The Giver. These books, chosen as the best in children's literature for 1990 and 1994, exemplify her ability to weave a tale, taut with suspense, about believable characters who find the best within themselves while attempting to make the world a better place.
Autumn Street and Rabble Starkey are Lois Lowry's favorite books that she has wrtten (F.A.Q). Autumn Street is an autobigraphical novel about living with her grandparents while her father is overseas in the military during World War II. Rabble Starkey is a story of family relationships and discovering what is really important in life. Lowry's first book, A Summer to Die, is a fictionalized retelling of her own sister's death from cancer at an early age.
On the lighter side of Lowry are her books about Anastasia Krupnik and her younger brother, Sam. She has written a total of thirteen books about this zany family. Lowry describes Anastasia as "the way I wished I had been at her age. Instead, I was very shy and self-conscious. I like how assertive Anastasia is" (F.A.Q.).
The companion book of The Giver, Gathering Blue, is a thought provoking look at another futuristic society. Unlike the perfect, ordered world of The Giver, in Gathering Blue, Lowry deftly creates a society where the weak are cast aside and the villagers are groomed to do the bidding of the all-powerful Council of Guardians.
Lowry's most recent books, Gooney Bird Greene, and The Silent Boy, again exemplify her ability write across a variety of genres. Gooney Bird Greene who likes to be "right smack in the middle of everything" thrills her second-grade class with her "only absolutely true stories." In the guise of allowing Gooney Bird to teach her classmates what makes a good story and where the inspiration for the story comes from, Lowry shares her own secrets for becoming a good storyteller. The Silent Boy is historical fiction set at the beginning of the twentieth century revolving around the relationship that develops between inquisitive Katy Thatcher, the daughter of a local doctor, and Jacob Stoltz, the silent boy who shares a gentle intimacy with animals. When tragedy strikes, only Katy is able to unravel the mystery of what had occurred and why.
Once you have read one of Lois Lowry's books, you will be ready for the next. Each of them offers something new and exciting in style, characterization, and plot.
Works cited:
Lowry, Lois. 2002. Frequently Asked Questions. Available from http://www.loislowry.com/faq.html. Accessed 25 June 2003.
Mifflin Company. ISBN: 0395486629.
Lowry, Lois. 1979. Anastasia Krupnik. Illus. by Diane deGroat. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company. ISBN: 0395286298.
Lowry, Lois. 1992. Attaboy, Sam. Illus. by Diane deGroat. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company. ISBN: 0395615887.
Lowry, Lois. 1980. Autumn street. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN:
0395278120.
Lowry, Lois. 2000. Gathering blue. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf. ISBN:
0440229499.
Lowry, Lois. 1993. The giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN:
0395645662.
Lowry, Lois. 2002. Gooney Bird Greene. Illus. by Middy Thomas. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 0618238484.
Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number the stars. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
ISBN: 0395510600.
Lowry, Lois. 1987. Rabble Starkey. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN:
0395425069.
Lowry, Lois. 2003. The silent boy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN:
0618282319.
Lowry, Lois. 1977. A summer to die. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN:
0395253381.
Lowry, Lois. 1999. Zooman Sam. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN:
0395973937.
Children's Literature Award, International Reading Association, 1978.
Autumn Street
American Library Association Notable Book Award Citation, 1980.
Anastasia, Again!
American Book Award Nomination (juvenile paperback category), 1983.
Rabble Starkey
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Golden Kite Award, Society of Children's Book Writers, andChild Study Award, Children's Book Committee of Bank Street College, 1987.
Number the Stars
Newbery Medal, National Jewish Book Award, and Sidney Taylor Award, National Jewish Libraries, 1990.
The Giver
Newbery Medal, 1994.
3rd Book in The Giver, Gathering Blue Trilogy,
Messenger
to be released - Spring 2004