Sylvia Engdahl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sylvia Engdahl
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| Born | November 24, 1933 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable awards | Christopher Award (1973) Phoenix Award (1990) |
Sylvia Louise Engdahl was born on November 24, 1933. She is an American writer famous for her exciting science fiction stories. Her very first novel, Enchantress from the Stars, came out in 1970. This book was a big hit! It won a Newbery Honor in 1971. Later, in 1990, it also won the special Phoenix Award.
Contents
About Sylvia Engdahl
Sylvia Engdahl was born in Los Angeles, California. She has written many books, mostly science fiction. Her first six books were all published by Atheneum Books.
From 1985 to 1995, she taught classes for college students online. This was a new idea back then! Today, Sylvia Engdahl lives in Oregon.
In 2007, she started writing new science fiction novels for adults. These include Stewards of the Flame and Promise of the Flame. She also wrote a series called "The Rising Flame" with books like Defender of the Flame (2013), Herald of the Flame (2014), and Envoy of the Flame (2021).
Sylvia Engdahl's Books
Sylvia Engdahl has written many books. Most of her early books were science fiction novels for young adults. She has also edited some collections of stories.
Science Fiction Novels
Here are some of her well-known science fiction novels. Many of these were first published for young adults. They have been re-released in recent years.
- Enchantress from the Stars (1970)
- Journey Between Worlds (1970)
- The Far Side of Evil (1971)
- This Star Shall Abide (1972) (In the UK, it was called Heritage of the Star)
- Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains (1973)
- The Doors of the Universe (1981)
- Children of the Star (2000) – This book combines three of her earlier novels: This Star Shall Abide, Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains, and The Doors of the Universe.
- Stewards of the Flame (2007) – This is the first book in her adult science fiction series, "The Hidden Flame."
- Promise of the Flame (2009)
- Defender of the Flame (2013) – This is the first book in her adult science fiction series, "The Rising Flame."
- Herald of the Flame (2014)
- Envoy of the Flame (2021)
Other Books
Sylvia Engdahl has also written or helped with other kinds of books:
- Planet-girded Suns: The Long History of Belief in Exoplanets (2012) – This book is about the history of people believing in planets outside our solar system.
- Universe ahead: stories of the future (1975) – A collection of future stories she helped choose.
- Anywhere, Anywhen: stories of tomorrow (1976) – Another collection of stories she edited.
- Our World Is Earth (1979) – A picture book.
Awards and Honors
Sylvia Engdahl's books have won several important awards.
- Enchantress from the Stars was named a Newbery Honor Book in 1971. The Newbery Medal is a very famous award for children's books in the U.S.
- Enchantress from the Stars also won the Phoenix Award in 1990. This award is given to a great English-language children's book that didn't win a major award when it was first published twenty years earlier. It's like the book rises again, just like the mythical bird, the phoenix.
- This Star Shall Abide won the Christopher Award in 1973.
- Stewards of the Flame won a bronze medal in the 2008 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Awards.
Other Recognitions
Enchantress from the Stars has also been recognized on many special book lists:
- 1970: Chosen by the Junior Literary Guild; listed as an ALA Notable Children's Book.
- 1971: Included in the Horn Book Fanfare list.
- 1998: Named one of the New York Public Library's 100 Favorite Children's Books.
- 2001: Chosen for the Teen People Book Club.
- 2004: Listed as an ALA Popular Paperback for Young Adults.
