Nancy Farmer

By Jamie Kee

hotel was located in a bad side of town, so Nancy's school friends were not permitted to visit. At the age of nine, Nancy was put to work at the hotel desk, so she spent much of her time around railroad men, truck drivers, and other characters who shared interesting stories. As Nancy got older, she spent less time at school and more time on her own. With so much freedom, she became wild and often got in trouble. Although Nancy frequently skipped school, she read voraciously, spending many hours at the public library.

Nancy Farmer, author of children's books, began her writing career in Africa. Despite being labeled as a stubborn and wild child, Farmer rose above these labels and became a successful professional writer. Prior to her writing career, she was involved in the Peace Corps and worked in the fields of genetics and entomology, the study of insects.

Eventually Farmer did get a formal education. She earned her BA in 1963 from Reed College in Portland, Oregon. She then joined the Peace Corps, and she spent two years in India. Following her time in the Peace Corps, Farmer worked in the entomology department at University of California at Berkeley. She soon got restless and made the decision to visit Africa. Farmer spent more than fifteen years in various locations in Central Africa monitoring water weeds, helping control tsetse flies, and eventually writing.

Farmer was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1941 to parents who were older than the parents of other kids her age. Because Nancy was born much later than her brother and sister, she spent most of her childhood alone. When Nancy was born, it was her much older sister, Mary, not her parents, who spent the most time with her. Mary talked and read to Nancy and taught her to read at a very early age. In fact, when Nancy started first grade, she was able to read at the eighth grade level. She did have one major problem. Nancy didn't know the concept of left and right. Nancy's numbers and letters were written backwards, and her handwriting was terrible. She failed the first three grades because of this problem. At the time, teachers assumed that she was just being stubborn. A child with this problem today would be diagnosed as having dyslexia.

Farmer's writing career began after she got married and had a son. She became bored just staying at home with her son, so one day she just decided to write a story. Farmer studied novels in order to learn how to develop characters and storylines. She soon discovered that it was easy to sell her writings in Africa because people were so desperate for stories and books. Eventually Farmer wanted to get published in the United States, and she got her first opportunity when one of her stories won a prize in the Writers of the Future Contest.

Name

Nancy Farmer

Although Nancy's older brother and sister skipped several grades in school, by the time Nancy was born, the school changed its teaching approach. The principal believed that no students should skip a grade because it would be unfair to other students. Because Nancy was so intelligent, she got bored easily and would often daydream. She found ways of pretending sickness in order to avoid the boredom of school. While the other students were reading about Dick, Jane, and Spot, Nancy was reading magazines and novels. When Nancy was eight years old, her father had a heart attack. The family moved to Yuma, Arizona, so that her family could manage a hotel, work that her father thought would be easier. The hotel business, unfortunately, was very difficult. Additionally, the

Upon returning to the United States, Farmer had to take a job at Stanford in the genetics department. She didn't see it as a career opportunity and quit the position. Luckily, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Farmer $20,000 for her novel, Do You Know Me? (1993), the first time they had ever awarded a children's author. Farmer published her first book in the United States and has been a full-time writer ever since. Farmer has written several short stories, three picture books, and eight young adult novels which have been translated into twenty-six languages. One of Farmer's earliest novels is Lorelei: The Story of a Bad Cat, published in 1987. Her picture books for young children are Runnery Granary (1996), Casey Jones's Fireman: The Story of Sim Webb (1999), and Clever Ali (2006). Farmer has also published four African novels: The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm (1994), Do You Know Me? (1995), The Warm Place (1995), and A Girl Named Disaster (1996). These young adult novels are rich in African culture. The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm and A Girl Named Disaster are

Name

Newbery Honor Books. Just a few of the many awards and recognitions given to Farmer's African books are ALA Best Book for Young Adults, National Book Award finalist, Hal Clement Award, YALSA Top Ten, Horn Book Fanfare, and ALA Notable Book. In 2002 Farmer publisher another young adult novel, The House of the Scorpion, which received many awards and recognitions like the Newbery Honor, Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book, Buxtehuder Bulle (Germany), ALA Top Ten Books for Young Adults, and IRA Young Adults' Choices. In 2004 Farmer wrote the first books in what would later be called The Sea of Trolls Trilogy. Following the original book, The Sea of Trolls (2004), Farmer later wrote The Land of the Silver Apples (2007), and The Islands of the Blessed (2009). This trilogy received a number of awards and recognitions such as ALA Best Book for Young Adults, ALA Notable Children's Books, Emperor Norton Award, and Horn Book Fanfare. Nancy Farmer's novels were greatly influenced by her childhood as well as her life in Africa and India. According to Farmer, "When I got to writing professional fiction, it just seemed like my whole life had been a preparation for that." The many unique characters she met while working at her father's hotel and her experiences in India and Africa have all helped build her into a creative, thoughtful writer. Although Farmer didn't start writing until she was forty, she has unmistakably achieved a reputation as an accomplished author. Nancy Farmer

Questions 1. Which book is NOT included in The Sea of Trolls Trilogy? A. The Islands of the Blessed B. The Land of the Silver Apples C. The Sea of Trolls D. The House of the Scorpion

2. Where did Farmer begin her time in the Peace Corps? A. South America B. Africa C. India D. Mongolia 3. Which of the following is NOT a picture book written by Farmer? A. Lorelei: The Story of a Bad Cat B. Clever Ali C. Casey Jones's Fireman: The Story of Sim Webb D. Runnery Granary 4. Who taught Nancy to read? A. her older brother B. her teacher C. her older sister D. her mother 5. Where did Nancy begin working when she was only nine years old? A. in her father's hotel B. in the town's only restaurant C. in her father's restaurant D. in the public library 6. Which of the following things had an influence on Farmer's books? A. Farmer's childhood B. Farmer's Peace Corps experience C. Farmer's life in Africa D. all of the above 7. Which of the following awards or recognitions did Farmer NOT receive? A. Horn Book Fanfare B. Newbery Honor C. National Book Award finalist D. Coretta Scott King Book Award

Research the history of the Peace Corps. Then write a paper discussing its origins and purpose.

Name

8. Nancy Farmer's books are written for what audience?

If you were to become a writer, what event in your life would probably influence your writing? Why? Write your response in a well developed essay.