Gloria Skurzynski facts for kids

Gloria Joan Skurzynski (born July 6, 1930) is an American author who writes many books for young people. She writes both exciting fiction stories and interesting non-fiction books.

Gloria Skurzynski's Early Life and School

Gloria Joan Flister Skurzynski was born in Duquesne, Pennsylvania in 1930. Her dad worked in a steel mill, and her mom was a telegraph operator. Gloria grew up during the Great Depression, a time when many people had little money.

She went to Carlow University in 1948, which was called Mount Mercy College back then. But she didn't really like school. So, she left college to work as a clerk at U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh from 1950 to 1952. While working there, she met Edward Joseph Skurzynski. They got married in December 1951. They had five children and later moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. Today, Gloria and her husband Edward live in Boise, Idaho.

Gloria Skurzynski's Writing Career

Gloria Skurzynski has written over sixty books for young readers. She became friends with Phyllis McGinley, a poet who won a special award called the Pulitzer Prize. Phyllis encouraged Gloria to try writing professionally.

Gloria's very first story was turned down 58 times! But finally, her first published piece appeared in Teen Magazine. Her work also appeared in School and Library Journal magazines. In 1966, a poem written by one of her daughters inspired Gloria to become a full-time writer.

In 1979, she became a professional author. She decided to focus on writing novels for children. Her first children's novel, What Happened in Hamelin? was published that year. She also wrote The Tempering (1983) and Good-bye, Billy Radish (1992).

When Gloria writes, she often uses ideas from her own life. She includes stories her father told her and memories from her childhood in Pittsburgh. Many of her books also feature themes about national parks, astronomy (the study of space), and animals.

Gloria has also written several non-fiction books. These include Bionic Parts for People: The Real Story of Artificial Organs and Replacement Parts (1978) and Are We Alone?: Scientists Search for Life in Space (2004). More recently, she worked with her daughter, Alane Ferguson, on a book series for National Geographic Society. This series is called Mysteries in Our National Parks. For these books, Gloria did most of the research, while her daughter wrote the conversations between characters.

Before becoming a professional writer, Gloria was involved with the Girl Scouts of the USA. She even wrote a play for them to perform in 1964 called The Golden Chain.

Awards and Recognitions

Gloria Skurzynski has won many awards for her books. In 1991, she received an Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children award from the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). Many of her other books have also won this same award.

Her book Good-bye, Billy Radish was named the Best Book of the Year by the School Library Journal. It also won a Judy Lopez Memorial Book award. In 2002, Gloria received two Golden Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America for her book Rockbuster. She has also been awarded a Science Writing Award from the American Institute of Physics, and a Golden Kite Award. She also received a Christopher Award from the Western Writers of America.

Selected Works by Gloria Skurzynski

Mysteries in Our National Parks Series

The Virtual War Chronologs Series

• Virtual War (1997)
• The Clones (2002)
• The Revolt (2005)
• The Choice (2006)

Other Books