Avi (author) facts for kids

Edward Irving Wortis (born December 23, 1937) is a famous American writer. Most people know him by his pen name, Avi. He writes books for young people, including children and teenagers. Avi has won the important Newbery Medal once and was a runner-up (called a Newbery Honor) two times.

About the Author

Early Life and Family

Avi and his twin sister were born in Brooklyn, New York. Their father, Joseph Wortis, was a doctor who helped people with their minds. Their mother, Helen Wortis, was a social worker. When Avi was just one year old, his sister gave him the nickname "Avi."

Both of Avi's grandfathers were writers. One of his grandmothers also wrote plays. Avi remembers his mother reading to him and his sister every night. They also went to the public library often. Avi is also the first cousin of the famous actor Alan Arkin.

School and Writing Challenges

Avi had some trouble in school. His parents moved him from a large high school to a smaller private school. There, he worked with a special tutor named Ella Ratner. Avi says she helped him a lot with his writing.

He struggled in school because he had dysgraphia. This is a learning difference that makes writing difficult. Despite this, Avi became a very successful writer.

Avi's Books and Awards

Avi has written over 80 books. Almost all of them are for children and young adults. He writes in many different styles, called genres. These include historical stories, fantasy, funny stories, mysteries, and adventure tales.

He has won many awards for his books. In 1991, he received a Newbery Honor for The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. He earned another Newbery Honor in 1992 for Nothing but the Truth.

His 50th book, Crispin: The Cross of Lead, won the top award, the Newbery Medal, in 2003. Another book, Iron Thunder, won the Beacon of Freedom Award in 2009. This book is about a famous ship battle.

Avi also wrote sequels to Crispin. These are Crispin: At the Edge of the World (2006) and Crispin: The End of Time (2010). His more recent books include Catch You Later, Traitor and Old Wolf. In 2016, he published a collection of short stories. It is called The Most Important Thing: Stories about Sons, Fathers, and Grandfathers.

Where Avi Lives Now

Avi used to live in Providence, Rhode Island. He lived there in the 1980s and 1990s. Now, he lives in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. He lives there with his wife, Linda Cruise Wright.

Avi's Works

Standalone Books

• Scout's Honor
• Things That Sometimes Happen: Very Short Stories for Little Listeners (1970)
• Snail Tale (1972), also known as End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail
• No More Magic (1975)
• Captain Grey (1977)
• Emily Upham's Revenge (1978)
• The History of Helpless Harry (1980)
• The Man from the Sky (1980)
• A Place Called Ugly (1981)
• Who Stole the Wizard Of Oz? (1981)
• Sometimes I Think I Hear My Name (1982)
• Devil's Race (1984)
• The Fighting Ground (1984)
• S.O.R. Losers (1984)
• Bright Shadow (1985)
• Wolf Rider (1986)
• Romeo and Juliet, Together (and Alive!) At Last (1987)
• Something Upstairs (1988)
• The Man Who Was Poe (1989)
• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (1990)
• Nothing But the Truth (1991)
• WINDCATCHER (1991)
• Blue Heron (1992)
• Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway? (1992)
• City of Light, City of Dark (1993)
• Punch with Judy (1993)
• The Barn (1994)
• Smugglers' Island (1994)
• Tom, Babette, & Simon: Three Tales of Transformation (1995)
• Beyond the Western Sea, Book 1: The Escape From Home (1996)
• Beyond the Western Sea, Book 2: Lord Kirkle's Money (1996), also known as Beyond the Western Sea, Book 2: Into The Storm
• Finding Providence: the Story of Roger Williams (1997)
• What Do Fish Have To Do with Anything? (1997)
• Perloo the Bold (1998)
• Abigail Takes the Wheel (1999)
• Amanda Joins the Circus (1999)
• Keep Your Eye on Amanda (1999)
• The Christmas Rat (2000)
• City of Orphans (2000)
• Don't You Know There's a War On? (2001)
• The Good Dog (2001)
• Prairie School (2001)
• Secret School (2001)
• The Mayor of Central Park (2003)
• Silent Movie (2003)
• Never Mind: A Twin Novel (2004)
• The Book Without Words (2005)
• Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation (2005)
• Iron Thunder: The Battle Between the Monitor & the Merrimac (2007)
• The Traitors' Gate (2007)
• A Beginning, a Muddle, and an End (2008)
• Hard Gold: The Colorado Gold Rush of 1859 (2008)
• Seer of Shadows (2008)
• Sophia's War: a Tale of the Revolution (2012)
• Catch You Later, Traitor (2015)
• Old Wolf (2015)
• The Most Important Thing: Stories About Sons, Fathers, and Grandfathers (2017)
• School of the Dead (2016)
• The Player King (2017)
• The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts (2017)
• The Button War (2018)
• The End of the World and Beyond (2019)
• Gold Rush Girl (2020)
• Loyalty (2022)

Book Series

Night Journeys Series

• Night Journeys (1979)
• Encounter at Easton (1980)

Dimwood Forest Series

• Poppy (1995)
• Poppy and Rye (1997)
• Ragweed (1999) – This book tells what happened before Poppy
• Ereth's Birthday (2000)
• Poppy's Return (2005)
• Poppy and Ereth (2009)
• Ragweed and Poppy (2020) – This book is also before Poppy, but after Ragweed

Beyond the Western Sea Series

• Escape from Home (1996)
• Lord Kirkle's Money: Beyond the Western Sea, Book 2 (1996)

Midnight Magic Series

• Midnight Magic (1999)
• Murder at Midnight (2009) – This book tells what happened before Midnight Magic
• City of Magic (2022)

Crispin Series

• Crispin: the Cross of Lead (2002)
• Crispin at the Edge of the World (2006)
• Crispin: the End of Time (2010)