Barbara Brooks Wallace

Barbara Brooks Wallace (December 3, 1922 – November 27, 2018) was an American children's writer. She won the NLAPW Children's Book Award and International Youth Library "Best of the Best" for Claudia (2001) and William Allen White Children's Book Award for Peppermints in the Parlor (1983).[1]

Barbara Brooks Wallace
Born(1922-12-03)December 3, 1922
Suzhou, China
DiedNovember 27, 2018(2018-11-27) (aged 95)
Arlington, Virginia, United States
OccupationWriter, poet
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles
GenreChildren's literature
Notable worksPeppermints in the Parlor (1983)
The Twin in the Tavern (1994)
Claudia (2001)
Notable awardsEdgar Award (1994, 1998)
Years active1975 – 2012

Early life

Wallace was born and spent her childhood in China, where she attended Shanghai American School, but came to live in the United States during high school. San Francisco was a port of entry for the family many times. She graduated from UCLA where she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority.

Career

She won two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America for The Twin in the Tavern (1994)[2] and Sparrows in the Scullery (1998).[2] Cousins in The Castle (1997)[3] and Ghosts in the Gallery (2001)[4] were also nominated for an Edgar Award.

Wallace's books are often compared to Lemony Snicket as well as books by Joan Lowery Nixon, a four-time recipient of the Edgar Award, and Beverly Cleary. She is given high praise by the American Library Association.[5]

In 2009, Wallace tapped the creative development group, Pangea Corporation,[6] to represent and develop her series of books into animated and live action entertainment. The trilogy series, Miss Switch, had previously enjoyed a popular run on the successful TV program, the ABC Weekend Specials, garnering the highest Nielsen ratings of all the episodes.[7] Wallace's Hawkins books (which were notable offerings from the elite Scholastic Book Club) were also featured as live action films on the ABC Weekend Specials.

It was announced in September 2011 that Wallace's new novel, Diary of a Little Devil, would be published as a digital eBook on the Kindle and Nook platforms. The deal was the result of Pangea's efforts and culminates with additional books to be released in the same manner, including a new edition to the Miss Switch series, entitled Miss Switch and the Vile Villains.

Death

Wallace died November 27, 2018 in Arlington, Virginia from complications of pneumonia at the age of 95.[8]

Books
  • Secret in St. Something
  • Peppermints in the Parlor
  • The Perils of Peppermints
  • The Barrel in the Basement
  • The Interesting Thing That Happened At Perfect Acres, Inc.
  • Hello Claudia!
  • Claudia and Duffy
  • Victoria
  • Can Do, Missy Charlie
  • The Secret Summer of L.E.B.
  • Andrew the Big Deal
  • Julia and the Third Bad Thing
  • Palmer Patch
  • The Hawkins Series
  • Miss Switch Online
  • Miss Switch to the Rescue
  • The Trouble with Miss Switch
  • Argyle
  • Ghosts in the Gallery
  • Cousins in the Castle
  • Miss Switch's Bathsheba & The Cat Caper (co-authored with John C. Besmehn)

References
  1. William Allen White Children's Book Awards Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Profile Archived September 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, lib.tx.us; accessed September 27, 2015.
  3. 1997 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominees Archived 2009-05-31 at the Wayback Machine, ucalgary.ca; accessed September 27, 2015.
  4. Award Winners > Edgar Allan Poe Awards, childrencomefirst.com; accessed September 27, 2015.
  5. Profile, ala.org; accessed September 27, 2015.
  6. Pangea Corporation website, accessed September 27, 2015.
  7. Miss Switch, imdb.com; accessed September 27, 2015.
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