Jewell Parker Rhodes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jewell Parker Rhodes
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| Born | 1954 (age 70–71) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist, professor |
| Alma mater | Carnegie Mellon University |
Jewell Parker Rhodes (born in 1954) is a popular American writer and teacher. She is known for her many books, especially those for young readers.
Her stories often inspire people to work for fairness, equality, and to protect our planet. She teaches at Arizona State University and has received an honorary degree from Carnegie Mellon University.
Contents
About Her Books for Young Readers
Jewell Parker Rhodes has written several amazing books for kids and teens. Many of her books have become bestsellers.
Her book Ghost Boys is very famous and has won over 50 awards. It tells a powerful story about racial injustice. Another bestseller is Black Brother, Black Brother.
She also wrote the Louisiana Girls Trilogy, which includes Ninth Ward, Sugar, and Bayou Magic. Ninth Ward won a Coretta Scott King Honor Award.
Her other books for young readers include Soul Step, Treasure Island: Runaway Gold, Paradise on Fire, Towers Falling, and Will's Race for Home. These books often explore important social issues and encourage young readers to think and act.
What Her Books Are About
Many of Jewell Parker Rhodes's books for middle schoolers talk about important issues like social justice. They often focus on challenges faced by Black communities, both in history and today.
For example, Ghost Boys explores unfair treatment and how it connects to the past. Her stories encourage everyone in a community to work together with respect and understanding. They help young readers think about themselves, learn new things, and make a difference.
Her Early Life and Education
Jewell Parker Rhodes grew up in Manchester, a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was a mostly African-American community.
When she was a child, she loved to read all the time. She started college studying drama. But she changed her mind when she discovered amazing books by African-American writers.
She earned three degrees from Carnegie Mellon University: a Bachelor of Arts in Drama Criticism, a Master of Arts in English, and a Doctor of Arts in English (Creative Writing).
Her Other Writings
Besides her books for young readers, Jewell Parker Rhodes has written six novels for adults. These include Voodoo Dreams, Magic City, Douglass’ Women, Season, Moon, and Hurricane.
She also wrote a memoir called Porch Stories: A Grandmother’s Guide to Happiness. A memoir is a book about a person's own life experiences.
She has also written two guides to help other writers: Free Within Ourselves: Fiction Lessons for Black Authors and The African American Guide to Writing and Publishing Non-Fiction.
In 2021, a new edition of her novel Magic City was released. This book is about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a sad historical event.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Jewell Parker Rhodes has received many awards for her writing. Here are some of them:
- 2003: American Book Award (for Douglass' Women)
- 2003: Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Fiction (for Douglass' Women)
- 2003: PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
- 2010: Parents' Choice Foundation Gold Award (for Ninth Ward)
- 2011: Coretta Scott King Honor Award (for Ninth Ward)
- 2014: Jane Addams Children's Book Award (for Sugar)
- 2018: E.B. White Read Aloud Award (for Ghost Boys)
- 2018: NAIBA Book of the Year (for Ghost Boys)
- 2019: Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature (for Ghost Boys)
- 2020: New England Book Award, Top 10 Kids' Indie Next Pick (for Black Brother, Black Brother)
- 2021: Finalist, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens (for Black Brother, Black Brother)
- 2022: Green Earth Book Award (for Paradise on Fire)
- 2023: The Center for Black Literature Octavia E. Butler Award for Speculative Fiction and Fantasy
