Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry

Key Autobiographical Details

Lois Lowry was born March 20, 1937 in Hawaii to Robert and Katharine Hammersberg. Her father was an Army dentist and the family lived all over the world. She attended Brown University, but left after her sophomore year to get married and raise a family of four children. They settled in Maine, where she returned to college and received her degree from the University of Southern Maine. Lois Lowry fulfilled a childhood dream when she began writing in the mid-1970's. Now divorced, she lives in West Cambridge with her dog, Bandit, and spends weekends in her 19th century farmhouse in New Hampshire.

Important Publications

Lowry has three books that she has had great success with. The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Number the Stars are all epic novels. She has written a total of 20 books, some of which include, the Messenger (3 part series) and Summer of Death.

Contributions to Literature

Lois Lowry, who is the author of over 20 novels and winner of the Newbery Medal twice, is a woman to be taken seriously. This native of Hawaii has become a favorite of both children and young adults. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader's Medal, and the Mark Twain Award.

Critical Reception to Literature

Maybe the two Newbery Awards gave it away, but Lois Lowry is a great author not only in the view of adults, but in the eyes of young adults as well. She is well liked throughout the literary world.

Important Literary Themes

Her books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. She has tackled a number of topics in her literature including adoption, mental illness, cancer, the Holocaust and futuristic societies. Whatever the theme, Lowry portrays realistic life experiences to her audience. In her books, Lois Lowry throws her characters and readers into many thought-provoking situations. The contemporary young adult reader is compelled to confront society with all of its imperfections.