Lesa Cline-Ransome facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lesa Cline-Ransome
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| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | New York University, MA |
| Alma mater | Pratt Institute, BFA |
| Genre | middle grade fiction, picture books |
| Years active | 2003-now |
| Notable works | Finding Langston, Before She Was Harriet |
| Notable awards | Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award |
| Spouse | James E. Ransome |
| Children | 4 |
Lesa Cline-Ransome is an American author. She writes picture books and middle grade novels. She is well-known for her book Before She Was Harriet. This book is about Harriet Tubman and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Her middle grade novel Finding Langston is also very popular.
Contents
About Lesa Cline-Ransome
Lesa Cline-Ransome grew up in Malden, Massachusetts. Her parents were both nurses. She is the youngest of three children in her family.
Becoming a Writer
When she was in middle school, Lesa decided she wanted to be a writer. She even attended a summer workshop for teens interested in journalism. This workshop was at Suffolk University. However, she soon realized that journalism was not for her. She stopped thinking about becoming a writer for a while.
Later, while studying at Pratt Institute, her professors encouraged her. She worked for the college newspaper there. She also took a job in advertising.
Starting Her Career
Lesa did not fully return to writing until she married her husband, James Ransome. He is an illustrator. He encouraged her to write books for children. At the time, he was working on illustrating his own first novel.
Lesa spent almost a year researching her first book. This was after her first child was born. An editor at Simon & Schuster decided to publish her work. This book became her third published picture book, called Satchel Paige.
Today, Lesa lives with her husband and their four children. They live in Rhinebeck, New York.
Books by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Lesa Cline-Ransome has written many books for young readers. These include middle grade novels and picture books.
Middle Grade Novels
- Finding Langston (Holiday House, 2018)
- Leaving Lymon (Holiday House, 2020)
- Being Clem (Holiday House, 2021)
Picture Books
- Bug Club Pro Guided Year 6 The Road to Freedom (Bug Club Guided) (Pearson Education Limited, 2017)
- Bug Club Comprehension Y6 The Road to Freedom 12-pack (Bug Club Guided) (Pearson Education Limited, 2017)
Illustrated by James E. Ransome
- Quilt Alphabet (Holiday House, 2002)
- Quilt Counting (Chronicle Books, 2002)
- Satchel Paige (Aladdin, 2003)
- Major Taylor, Champion Cyclist (Atheneum, 2003)
- Young Pele: Soccer's First Star (Schwartz & Wade, 2007)
- Helen Keller: The World in Her Heart (Collins Publishers, 2008)
- Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George (Schwartz & Wade, 2011)
- Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass (Simon & Schuster, 2012)
- Light in the Darkness: A Story about How Slaves Learned in Secret (Jump at the Sun, 2013)
- Benny Goodman & Teddy Wilson: Taking the Stage as the First Black-And-White Jazz Band in History (Holiday House, 2014)
- My Story, My Dance: Robert Battle's Journey to Alvin Ailey (Paula Wiseman Books, 2015)
- Freedom's School (Paula Wiseman Books, 2015)
- Just a Lucky So and So: The Story of Louis Armstrong (Holiday House, 2016)
- Before She Was Harriet (Holiday House, 2017)
- Germs: Sickness, Bad Breath, and Pizza (Henry Holt, 2017)
- Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams (Paula Wiseman Books, 2018)
Illustrated by Others
- Whale Trails, Before and Now, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Henry Holt, 2015)
- Counting the Stars: The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician, illustrated by Raul Colon (Paula Wiseman Books, 2019)
Awards and Honors
Lesa Cline-Ransome's books have won many awards. These awards recognize her excellent writing.
Nominations
- 2018 NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literary Work - Children's category for Before She Was Harriet
Awards Won
- 2018 Jane Addams Children's Book Award for Younger Children Honor for Before She Was Harriet
- 2019 Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Honor for Finding Langston
- 2019 Charlotte Zolotow Award for Highly Commended Title for Before She Was Harriet
- 2021 Mathical Honors for Counting the Stars: The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician.
