Something for everyone...
Pam Munoz Ryan reaches into her reader's minds and helps them to get more comfortable about : who they are, who they might become, where they fit in in our world and how to relate to one's family, friends, and peers. Through the diverse genres of young children picture books all the way to young adult literature Pam Munoz Ryan takes these universal themes and makes them accessible to all readers. Hopefully,
this pathfinder is for teachers and students to learn more about the award winning author but also to find something for themselves..
Biography - Who is she?
Pam Munoz was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. Her days after school were spent at her grandmother's pouring over books. Her grandmother's story of arriving in California from Mexico is loosely portrayed in Ryan's award winning book, Espernaza Rising. Later in her school years, she attended a new school where she felt uneasy with herself and her peers - she took refuge in books. They were her "place to escape". Her career started in early childhood teaching and administration. When she went back to school for a master's in education, two separate friends asked her to consider writing as a career - they knew she had talent. Like many writer's beginnings turn out, her manuscripts were rejected left and right - "too many to count" she shares. Finally, after many trials and tribulations her first book was published in 1994. Lucky for us, she has not stopped since and has published over 30 books for kids - from picture books, anthologies, young adult books, and even biographies.
Watch a video interview here.
Watch a video interview here.
Books - How many? For who?
Pam Munoz Ryan has been a very busy and successful writer. A few of her books are highlighted below. For a complete list of her books, a brief synopsis of each, and the many awards/honors that each has received please visit her comprehensive official website here.
1998 Riding Freedom - Life is hard for Charlotte growing up as an orphan in the mid-1800's. Find out how she and a secret defy all the odds.
1999 Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride - Following a true story of these friends adventure one night - flying in the face of convention.
2000 Esperanza Rising - Learn how losing everything can sometimes realize all that you actually have got.
2001 Mice and Beans - A colorful story of a big family celebration. How does one feel special?
2002 When Marian Sang - A famous symbol of the Civil Rights movement. This story tells of Marian Anderson's successes and obstacles.
2004 Becoming Naomi Leon - Think positive. Can that truly save your family?
2011 Tony Baloney - How does a penguin stay out of trouble in his big family? How does he find love and mischief?
1998 Riding Freedom - Life is hard for Charlotte growing up as an orphan in the mid-1800's. Find out how she and a secret defy all the odds.
1999 Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride - Following a true story of these friends adventure one night - flying in the face of convention.
2002 When Marian Sang - A famous symbol of the Civil Rights movement. This story tells of Marian Anderson's successes and obstacles.
2004 Becoming Naomi Leon - Think positive. Can that truly save your family?
| Awards/Honors - What do they mean? It is very special to receive any award in writing - whether from fans, critics, or organizations. What makes Pam Munoz Ryan so unique is not only the number of awards that her books have been given, but the diversity of awards it truly amazing and awe inspiring. Her awards include: The Pura Belpre Award (for outstanding Latino/Latina topic book), ALA Notable Children's Book, IRA Notable Book for a Global Society, Starred Review Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal, Teacher's Choice Award, The Willa Cather Award (for presenting the west in literature), Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award, Jane Addams Children's Book Award (for promoting peace and understanding amongst each other), ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year, NY Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, Smithsonian Best Book of the Year Award, over 50 state young reader awards, and many more... click here to see more awards and for which specific book they were awarded to. For more detailed descriptions of all the awards please visit the American Library Association website here. | |||||
Websites for more information/lesson resources: - Scholastic has a very comprehensive site that will provide author interviews, Book Discussion guides, and teacher resources. - Reading Rockets has 3 video interviews available that give more insight into Pam Munoz Ryan's writing.  Write to the author: Pam Munoz Ryan Scholastic Inc. 537 Broadway NY, NY 10012 Email the author: PMunozRyan@aol.com Follow the author on Facebook or Twitter:  http://twitter.com/PamMunozRyan  Sources used to create Pathfinder: http://www.pammunozryan.com/ http://www.ala.org/ http://www.scholastic.com/ http://www.readingrockets.com/ http://www.freshfiction.com/ Contributions:Pam Munoz Ryan is a writer that has had a wide impact on the world of young adult to young children's literature. Specifically, she has shown the strength of young female protagonists, often of Latina heritage throughout many of her books - this is a very important contribution in today's multicultural society. With growing number of Latinos throughout America, it is essential to have characters that young Latinos can relate to and aspire to learn life lessons from while providing a positive representation of their culture to the mass public. Many library and schools highlight and use her novels like Espernanza Rising and Becoming Namoi Leon to open up discussions about this unique and ever growing part of our population. Visit www.girlsinc.org/downloads/latinaresources_forgirls.pdf for more ideas for great books on this topic. She also is a true inspiration to aspiring writers. Pam Munoz Ryan mentions in many of her interviews that writing is not only her passion but her job that she takes very seriously. She has proven by the sheer number of books written and with their consistency of quality which is recognized by both their popularity and their many, many awards, that prolific writers can also be high quality writers. On her official she devotes a whole page to give advice to both adults that inspire to be writers and students that want to be writers. Writers are encouraged to visit http://www.scbwi.org/ created by the Society of Children's Bookwriters and Illustrators, http://www.ralphfletcher.com/, and many more to get started. Visit http://www.pammunozryan.com/ to get the complete list. It is unique to see an author take such steps to ensure that the next generation of writers is so supported and nutured. Great Website Sources for teachers and students: http://www.pammunozryan.com/ - official author website http://www.ala.org/ - American Library Association, award explanation, book lists http://www.scholastic.com/ - Book talks, lesson plans, interactive book activities, author interviews http://www.readingrockets.org/ - website for young readers, author interviews, book reviews http://english.clas.asu.edu/wq-naomi-leon - webquest for Becoming Naomi Leon |
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