Ruth White (children's author)

For other people named Ruth White, see Ruth White (disambiguation).

Ruth White (born 1942) is an American author. She won a Newbery Honor in 1997 for her book Belle Prater's Boy.

Biography

When Ruth was six years old, her father, who was a coal miner, was killed in a brawl (and the attacker sent to prison for 20 years). Her mother moved to a place near the town of Whitewood, Virginia. When Ruth was in the eighth grade the family moved to Michigan, but Ruth returned to Grundy to finish high-school while living with an aunt and uncle. These incidents form part of the story in her book "Sweet Creek Holler".

Ruth White's book, Belle Prater's Boy was named a 1997 Newbery Honor book. Ruth and her sisters grew up in the coal-mining town of Whitewood, Virginia. They played in the hills and creeks, enjoyed family read-alouds, and sang every song they heard. Ruth has been a teacher and a school librarian in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. For a while, she lived in Virginia Beach, but now she lives in Pennsylvania.

Works

• "The City Rose", an African-American adventure story
• "Sweet Creek Holler", a poor girl's story about growing up in Southwest Virginia
• "Weeping Willow", a story about friendship, love, pain, and coming of age also set in Southwest Virginia
• "Belle Prater's Boy", Newbery Honor Book about friendship, love,and understanding
• "Memories of Summer" a story about love, patience, and understanding.
• "Tadpole"
• "Buttermilk Hill", a sequel to "Weeping Willow"
• "The Search for Belle Prater", a sequel to "Belle Prater's Boy"
• "Way Down Deep"
• "Little Audrey"

Sources

• Interview
• Biography
• Reviews
• "Newbery Medal and Honor Award Books", American Library Association
• Official Web Site