Zilpha Keatley Snyder | Honored children's author, 87
Zilpha Keatley Snyder, 87, the prize-winning author of The Egypt Game and dozens of other novels that led young readers into the wondrous terrain between fantasy and reality, died Oct. 7 in Greenbrae, Calif. The cause was a stroke, said her husband, Larry Snyder.
Zilpha Keatley Snyder, 87, the prize-winning author of
The Egypt Game
and dozens of other novels that led young readers into the wondrous terrain between fantasy and reality, died Oct. 7 in Greenbrae, Calif. The cause was a stroke, said her husband, Larry Snyder.
The author of more than 40 books, Ms. Snyder was recognized three times with the Newbery Honor, a top prize in children's literature.
Her first Newbery Honor was for The Egypt Game (1967), in which heroines April and Melanie occupy a vacant lot and resurrect the rites of ancient Egypt until a murder disrupts their make-believe.
Her second Newbery Honor winner, The Headless Cupid (1971), explored matters including poltergeists and step-siblings. The Witches of Worm (1972), her third Newbery Honor recipient, centers on Jessica, a melancholy child who, in thrall to a sinister kitten named Worm, worries that she may be a witch.
The Gypsy Game, published in 1997, was a follow-up to The Egypt Game. Her most recent books included William's Midsummer Dreams (2011).
- Washington Post