Sonia Levitin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sonia Levitin
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| Born | August 18, 1934 Berlin, Nazi Germany |
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| Nationality | German-American |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley University of Pennsylvania |
| Spouse | Lloyd Levitin |
Sonia Wolff Levitin (born August 18, 1934) is a talented German-American writer, artist, and producer. She is a Holocaust survivor. Sonia Levitin has written over forty books for young adults and children. She has also written plays and essays for adults.
Her book Incident at Loring Groves (1988) won an Edgar Allan Poe Award. This is a special award for mystery writers.
Contents
Early Life and Journey
Sonia Levitin was born on August 18, 1934, in Berlin, Nazi Germany. Her family was Jewish. To escape danger, she traveled with her mother and two sisters to Switzerland. Her father, a well-known clothing designer, went to New York City. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he raised Sonia and her sisters.
Sonia Levitin later wrote books about the challenges of being new to a country. These books include The Journey to America and Silver Days. They tell the story of a German Jewish family who escaped the terrible events of the Holocaust.
Sonia loved to read. In 1952, she went to the University of California, Berkeley. There, she met her husband, Lloyd Levitin. They got married after one year. She then earned a degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania.
Writing Career
Sonia Levitin started her career as a writer for newspapers. But her first novel, Journey to America, became very popular right away. After that, she became a professional novelist. She wrote many books for young adults. Often, the characters in her books were a bit like her.
A common theme in her writing is brave characters who face tough problems. These characters have to find their own way to solve these challenges. Her books often describe important historical events. She especially writes about events that affected Jewish people.
Sonia Levitin as a Painter
Sonia Levitin is also known for being a talented painter. Her artwork was shown to the public for the first time in June 2015. This first art show was organized by Anthony Angelini. It happened at Christofle in Beverly Hills, California. Many important people from Los Angeles came to see it. The show featured 10 of Levitin's paintings. These paintings showed feelings and ideas, and had never been shown before.
Books by Sonia Levitin
- Adam's War
- All the Cats in the World
- Annie's Promise
- Beyond Another Door
- Boom Town
- Clem's Chances
- The Cure
- Dream Freedom
- Escape from Egypt
- Evil Encounter
- The Fisherman and the Bird (written with Francis Livingston)
- The Golem and the Dragon Girl
- The Goodness Gene
- Incident at Loring Groves
- Jason and the Money Tree
- Journey to America
- The Man Who Kept His Heart in a Bucket
- The Mark of Conte
- Nine for California
- Nobody Stole the Pie
- The No-Return Trail
- A Piece of Home
- Reigning Cats and Dogs
- The Return
- Rita, the Weekend Rat
- Roanoke: A Novel of the Lost Colony
- Room in the Heart
- A Season for Unicorns
- Silver Days
- The Singing Mountain
- A Single Speckled Egg
- Smile Like a Plastic Daisy
- A Sound to Remember
- Strange Relations
- Taking Charge
- Who Owns the Moon?
- The Year of Sweet Senior Insanity
- Yesterday's Child
Awards and Recognition
Sonia Levitin has won many awards for her writing. Some of them include:
- Edgar Allan Poe Award
- 1971: National Jewish Book Award for Journey to America
- 1988: National Jewish Book Award for The Return
- Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Award
- Jewish Book Council Best Juvenile Fiction
- American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults
- Southern California Council on Literature for Children and Young People, Distinguished Body of Work Award
- German Bishops’ Conference, Children’s Book Prize
- PEN Los Angeles Award for Young Adult fiction
