Betsy Byars was born August 7, 1938 in Charlotte, North Carolina. That would make her seventy years old today. According to her website and according to Wikipedia, she now lives in Seneca, South Carolina with her husband Ed Byars. Both Ms. Byars and her husband are licensed pilots, and they live on an airstrip and over an airplane hangar. I assume they also own an airplane.
Ms. Byars has written over sixty books, the first one published in 1962. In 1971, she won the Newbery Medal for her book, The Summer of the Swans, about a fourteen year girl, Sara, and her handicapped younger brother, Charlie, and a very long summer day. She’s also won a National Book Award, and an Edgar Award, and the Regina Medal from the Catholic Library Association.
Here’s a picture, borrowed from her website:
The letters stand for Sailplane Crew Union Member.
If you have something to share about Betsy Byars or about one or more of her many books, please leave a link to the post at your blog. Or leave a comment.
I havne’t blogged any of her books yet, but I did read all her books I could get my hands on as a kid in the 70s and then I started reading more in the 90s so I think I have a good number of her books read. But I’m sure there are still many left for me to read. My favourites are the Not just anybody family books (4 in all), the TV Kid and the Two Thousand Pound Goldfish.