Richard Peck (writer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Peck
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Peck at the National Bookfest in 2013
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| Born | April 10, 1934 Decatur, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | May 24, 2018 (aged 84) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Graceland Cemetery |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1934–2018 |
| Genre | Young adult fiction, horror, mystery |
| Notable awards | Edgar Award 1977 Margaret Edwards Award 1990 National Humanities Medal 2001 Newbery Medal 2001 |
Richard Wayne Peck (born April 10, 1934 – died May 23, 2018) was an American writer. He was famous for writing many books for young adults. He won the Newbery Medal in 2001 for his book A Year Down Yonder. This book was a sequel to A Long Way From Chicago. He also received the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1990. This award honored his important contributions to young adult literature.
Contents
Richard Peck's Early Life and Education
Richard Wayne Peck was born on April 5, 1934, in Illinois. His mother, Virginia Grey Peck, went to Wesleyan University. His father, Wayne Peck, owned a service station. Richard also had a sister named Cheryl. She later became a college administrator.
Richard went to elementary and high school in Decatur, Illinois. After high school, he studied English at DePauw University. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1956. During his third year of college, he studied abroad at the University of Exeter in England.
After college, Richard joined the U.S. Army. He worked as a chaplain's assistant for two years in Stuttgart, Germany. He later said that seeing the world as a young adult shaped his views for life. After his military service, he earned a master's degree from Southern Illinois University in 1959.
Richard Peck's Career as a Writer
Richard Peck started his career as a high school teacher. He taught English. He was later moved to a junior high school. This change made him decide to become a full-time writer. However, his time teaching junior high students gave him great ideas for his books. He once said, "It was my students who taught me to be a writer."
He stopped teaching in 1971 to write his first book. It was called Don't Look and It Won't Hurt. It was published in 1972. This book was about a teenage girl trying to find her place in the world. After that, he wrote a new book every year. He wrote 41 books in 41 years!
Peck also worked as a professor at Louisiana State University. He taught in their School of Library and Information Sciences.
Richard Peck's Personal Life
Richard Peck was a private person. He liked to keep his personal life to himself. He lived in New York City. He spent his time writing and traveling. Richard Peck passed away in New York City in May 2018. He was 84 years old.
Richard Peck's Writing Style and Process
Richard Peck wrote all his books on an electric typewriter. He believed that a book had to feel like a real book from the very first day he started writing it. He did not have a daily writing routine because he traveled a lot. However, he had a very strict way of writing.
He would write each page six times. Then, he would put it in a special binder. When he felt a page was just right, he would remove about 20 words from it. He said, "After a year, I've come to the end. Then I'll take this first chapter, and without rereading it, I'll throw it away and write the chapter that goes at the beginning. Because the first chapter is the last chapter in disguise." He always gave his editor a finished book. His editor was the first person to read his work.
Even though he connected with readers worldwide, Peck did not use new technology. He always used his typewriter. Interestingly, he wrote two books that had a tech-savvy setting.
Peck believed that every book should ask a question, not give an answer. He also thought that a book must be entertaining first. Only then could it be anything else. Many of his books won awards. His writings from 1972 to 1991 are kept at The University of Southern Mississippi.
Richard Peck's Death
Richard Peck died on May 23, 2018. He passed away at his home in New York City after a long illness.
Movies Based on Richard Peck's Books
Several of Richard Peck's books were made into movies or TV shows:
- The Ghost Belonged to Me (1976), based on his 1975 novel.
- Are You in the House Alone? (1978), a TV thriller film based on his 1976 novel.
- Child of Glass (1978), a TV movie also based on The Ghost Belonged to Me.
- Father Figure (1980), based on his 1978 novel.
- Gas Food Lodging (1992), based on his 1971 novel Don't Look and It Won't Hurt.
Richard Peck's Books
Richard Peck wrote many books. Here are some of them:
Anthologies Edited by Richard Peck
- Edge of Awareness: 25 Contemporary Essays (1966)
- Sounds and Silences: Poems For Now (1970)
- Mindscapes: Poems for the Real World (1971)
- Leap Into Reality: Essays For Now (1973)
- Pictures That Storm Inside My Head: Poems for the Inner You (1976)
Collections of Richard Peck's Stories
- Past Perfect, Present Tense: New and Collected Stories (2004)
Novels by Richard Peck
- Don't Look and It Won't Hurt (1972)
- Dreamland Lake (1973)
- Through a Brief Darkness (1973)
- Representing Super Doll (1974)
- The Ghost Belonged to Me (1975)
- Are You in the House Alone? (1976)
- Ghosts I Have Been (1977)
- Monster Night at Grandma's House (1977)
- Father Figure (1978)
- Secrets of the Shopping Mall (1979)
- Amanda/Miranda (1980)
- Close Enough to Touch (1981)
- New York Time
- The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp (1983)
- This Family of Women (1983)
- Remembering the Good Times (1985)
- Blossom Culp and the Sleep of Death (1986)
- Princess Ashley (1987)
- Those Summer Girls I Never Met (1988)
- Voices After Midnight (1989)
- Unfinished Portrait of Jessica (1991)
- Bel-Air Bambi and the Mall Rats (1993)
- Lost in Cyberspace! (1995)
- The Last Safe Place on Earth (1995)
- The Great Interactive Dream Machine: Another Adventure in Cyberspace (1996)
- London Holiday (1998)
- A Long Way from Chicago (1998)
- Strays Like Us (1998)
- A Year Down Yonder (2000)
- Fair Weather (2001)
- The River Between Us (2003)
- The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts (2004)
- Here Lies The Librarian (2006)
- On the Wings of Heroes (2007)
- A Season of Gifts (2009)
- Three Quarters Dead (2010)
- Secrets at Sea (2011)
- The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail (2013)
- The Best Man (2016)
Nonfiction Books by Richard Peck
- Consumer's guide to educational innovations (1972)
- The Creative Word, Vol. 2 (1973)
- Transitions: a literary paper casebook (1974)
- Urban Studies: a research paper casebook (1974)
- Housing and Local Government: a research guide for policy-makers and planners (1975)
- Write a Tale of Terror (1987)
- Anonymously Yours (1991), his autobiography.
- Love and Death at the Mall: Teaching and Writing for the Literate Young (1994)
- Invitations to the World: Teaching and Writing for the Young (2002)
Awards and Honors for Richard Peck
Richard Peck received many awards for his writing:
- 1990: Margaret A. Edwards Award for his important and lasting contributions to young adult literature.
- 1990: ALAN Award from The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents.
- 1991: The University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for his great contributions to children's literature.
- 2001: National Humanities Medal.
- 2004: Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award for his work in the educational paperback business.
Book Awards
- 1977: Edgar Allan Poe Award, Best Juvenile, for Are You in the House Alone?.
- 2001: Newbery Medal for A Year Down Yonder.
- 2004: Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for The River Between Us.
Other Recognitions
- 1974: Nominated for the Edgar Award, Best Juvenile, for Dreamland Lake.
- 1999: Finalist for the National Book Award and a Newbery Medal Honor Book for A Long Way from Chicago.
