Frieda Friedman facts for kids

Frieda Friedman (born 1905) was a talented writer. She wrote many books for children and young teens. Her stories were mostly for girls aged 10 to 15. She published these books from the 1940s to the 1960s. Many of her books were reprinted often. Some were even printed until the late 1980s.

Frieda Friedman's Life and Work

Frieda Friedman was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1905. She went to New York University and earned a degree. After that, she continued her studies at Columbia University and New York University.

Frieda worked for several newspapers and magazines. One of them was the New York American. In 1930, she started writing poems for a company called Norcross Greeting Card Company. She later became an editor there.

Frieda lived in New York City. Some of her stories were set in this big city. She often wrote about girls from caring, everyday families. These families were usually working-class or middle-class.

Books and Awards

Many artists helped bring Frieda's stories to life. They created the pictures for her books. Some of these illustrators include Valeria Patterson and Carolyn Haywood.

Frieda's books were recognized for being special. The New York Herald Tribune Spring Book Festival gave her awards. These awards were called "Honor Choice" for her teen fiction.

She received this award three times:

• In 1947 for her book Dot for Short.
• In 1949 for A Sundae with Judy.
• In 1956 for The Janitor's Girl.

International and New Editions

Frieda Friedman's books were popular in other countries too. A German publisher, Franz Schneider Verlag, translated some of her titles. For example, Auf Dotty ist Verlaß (1959) is the German version of Dot for Short (1947). It featured new drawings by Ulrike Zehe-Weinberg.

Another German book, Ellen hat die besten Freunde (1965), came from her book Ellen and the Gang (1963). This version had illustrations by Erich Hölle.

Scholastic Book Services also republished some of her books. They released Dot for Short, Carol from the Country, and The Janitor's Girl. These new editions had fresh illustrations by Mary Stevens. Carol from the Country was even given a shorter title, just Carol.