Elizabeth George Speare

Elizabeth George Speare has been recognized by literary critics as one of the best writers of historical fiction for children. She was born in Melrose, Massachusetts on November 21, 1908, and attended Smith College and Boston University. Trained as a high school English teacher, Speare published Calico Captive, her first novel, in 1957. She is a two-time winner of the Newbery Medal for The Bronze Bow and The Witch of Blackbird Pond. The Sign of the Beaver, published in 1984, received a Newbery Honor Citation, the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the Christopher Award. In 1989, Speare received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her distinguished and enduring contribution to children's literature. Speare died in 1994.