Don Nardo facts for kids

Don Nardo, born on February 22, 1947, is an American historian, composer, and writer. He has written over 540 books, making him one of the most productive authors in the United States. He is especially known for his many history books for children and teenagers.

Don Nardo's Journey: From Childhood to Author

Early Life and Discovering Passions

Don Nardo was born in Columbia, Missouri. He spent his first few years traveling around the country with his parents, who were popular nightclub entertainers. His younger brother, Philip, was born in 1949.

In the early 1950s, his family settled in Natick, Massachusetts. Don was first taught at home, then went to local public schools. As he grew up, he became interested in acting, music, history, and writing. These were all things he would later do professionally. In high school, he was in many plays and was voted best actor. Outside of school, he learned to play the trumpet. He also started writing music for orchestras, even a symphony at age fourteen! He taught himself how to write down his music by studying books.

After high school in 1965, Nardo studied theater at Syracuse University. He left after a few semesters to become an actor in New York City. Later, in the 1970s, he went back to school. He earned a history degree with high honors from Worcester State College (now Worcester State University).

Acting and Screenwriting Career

As a young actor, Don Nardo performed in many plays. This included summer theater in New York and dinner theater in the American South. He also worked with the National Shakespeare Company. He appeared in plays like Macbeth and Othello.

Later, Nardo became more interested in writing screenplays (for movies) and teleplays (for TV shows). While working on his first scripts, he taught social studies and English in Barnstable, Massachusetts. One of his screenplays, The Bet, won a $5,000 award in 1982. He also wrote an episode for ABC's TV show Spenser: For Hire. This episode was called "Skeletons in the Closet." Nardo also helped write, produce, and direct a low-budget movie.

Becoming a Prolific History Writer

Don Nardo had loved studying history since he was a child. Even though he earned a history degree in the 1970s, he didn't start writing history books until the 1980s. A publisher in Boston asked him to write chapters for a new high school history textbook. This led to offers from other publishers who made books for young adults.

Over the years, he kept getting more offers and good reviews from magazines like School Library Journal. By 2004, he had written over a hundred books. These books were about the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, and other ancient peoples. A famous historian, Victor Davis Hanson, even called him the "premier practitioner" of writing history books for children.

Publishers like Chelsea House and Scholastic asked Nardo to write many books about medieval times. One of his books, a biography of astronomer Tycho Brahe, won a special award. He also wrote books about modern history, including Native American culture, America's wars, and the U.S. founders.

His 2012 book, Migrant Mother, won the Spur Award for Best Western Juvenile Nonfiction. Another book from 2012, Destined for Space, won an award from the American Astronautical Society. In 2014, Nardo published his first novel, a fiction book called Cloak of Destiny. He describes it as a "cosmic mystery." He says it's about an archaeologist who finds an amazing secret in Israel. This secret reveals new truths about humans' place in the universe.

Composing Music: A Lifelong Passion

While writing, Nardo also continued to compose music. He has written seven more symphonies and concertos for many instruments like violin, cello, and piano. He also wrote a ballet about Cleopatra and music for plays, including a school production of The Hobbit. For The Hobbit, he also conducted the orchestra.

In 1987, the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra asked him to write a concert piece for children. It was based on H.G. Wells's The War of the Worlds. In 2008, Portuguese-American violinist Pedro Ferreira asked him to write a double concerto for violin and Portuguese guitar. This was the first major concert piece for that instrument.

From 2008 to 2010, Nardo was the main composer for Ferreira's Amadis Orchestra. In 2011, the Cape Cod Symphony asked him for another piece for their 50th anniversary. This orchestral piece, Cape Cod Impressions, was played with photos of Cape Cod on big screens. It received standing ovations. In 2013, he arranged popular songs for a pops concert with the Cheshire Symphony Orchestra.

Don Nardo's Personal Life

Don Nardo has been married twice. His first marriage gave him a son, Dana, born in 1972, who became a graphic artist. Don and his second wife, Christine, love animals, especially dogs. They also enjoy traveling and often visit Greece and other countries that Don writes about in his books.

Selected Works

• Gravity: The Universal Force. Lucent Books, 1990. ISBN: 1-56006-204-5
• World War II: The War in the Pacific. Lucent Books, 1991. ISBN: 1-56006-408-0
• Anxiety and Phobias. Chelsea House, 1992. ISBN: 0-7910-0041-9
• Charles Darwin. Chelsea House, 1993. ISBN: 0-7910-1729-X
• Medical Diagnosis. Chelsea House, 1993. ISBN: 0-7910-0067-2
• Greek and Roman Theater. Lucent Books, 1994. ISBN: 1-56006-249-5
• The Battle of Marathon. Lucent Books, 1995. ISBN: 1-56006-412-9
• The Age of Pericles. Lucent Books, 1996. ISBN: 1-56006-303-3
• The Bill of Rights. Greenhaven Press, 1997. ISBN: 1-56510-740-3
• The Medieval Castle. Lucent Books, 1998. ISBN: 1-56006-430-7
• Readings on Romeo and Juliet. Editor, Greenhaven Press, 1998. ISBN: 1-56510-646-6
• The Rise of Nazi Germany. Editor, Greenhaven Press, 1998. ISBN: 1-56510-965-1
• Readings on Sophocles' Antigone. Editor, Greenhaven Press, 1999. ISBN: 1-56510-969-4
• Greek and Roman Sport. Lucent Books, 1999. ISBN: 1-56006-436-6
• Readings on Othello. Editor, Greenhaven Press, 2000. ISBN: 0-7377-0187-0
• Francisco Coronado. Franklin Watts, 2001. ISBN: 0-531-11974-2
• Daily Life in Ancient Rome. KidHaven Press, 2002. ISBN: 0-7377-0612-0
• Life of a Roman Gladiator. Lucent Books, 2003. ISBN: 1-59018-253-7
• Andrew Johnson. Children's Press, 2004. ISBN: 0-516-24242-3
• The Byzantine Empire. Blackbirch Press, 2005. ISBN: 1-4103-0586-4
• The Age of Colonialism. Lucent Books, 2006. ISBN: 1-59018-833-0
• Greenhaven Encyclopedia of Ancient Mesopotamia. Greenhaven Press, 2007. ISBN: 0-7377-3441-8
• History of Architecture. Lucent Books, 2008. ISBN: 1-4205-0003-1
• Julius Caesar: Roman General and Statesman. Compass Point Books, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-7565-3834-7
• Alexander the Great: Conqueror of the Known World. Morgan Reynolds, 2010. ISBN: 1-59935-126-9
• The Islamic Empire. Gale, Cengage, 2011. ISBN: 1-4205-0634-X
• The Birth of Christianity. Morgan Reynolds, 2012. ISBN: 1-59935-145-5
• Persian Mythology. Gale, Cengage, 2013. ISBN: 1-420-50794-X
• The Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Compass Point Books, 2014. ISBN: 978-075654927-5
• Daily Life in Ancient Egypt. Raintree (England), 2015. ISBN: 978-140628807-0
• Deadliest Dinosaurs. Reference Point Books, 2016. ISBN: 978-1682820483
• Teens and Eating Disorders. Reference Point Press, 2017. ISBN: 978-1682821220
• Transgender Life. Gale/Cengage, 2018. ISBN: 978-1410380999
• Classic Stories of Greek Mythology. Reference Point Press, 2019. ISBN: 1682826198
• Why Should I Care About the Greeks? Capstone Press, 2020. ISBN: 0756565650
• Understanding Gender Identity. Reference Point Press, 2021. ISBN: 1678201782
• Important Black Americans in Science and Invention. Reference Point Press, 2022. ISBN: 1678202886
• Exploring Indian Mythology. Reference Point Press, 2023. ISBN: 978-1-6782-0480-8