Elizabeth George Speare

Elizabeth George Speare

Elizabeth George Speare published surprisingly few books during her career, but nonetheless she left an indelible mark.  Her historical fiction novels have won numerous awards and are often required reading in schools. She excelled at bringing history to life with believable, sympathetic characters.  This talent manifested itself early, as she filled notebook after notebook with stories and poems during her childhood.

Speare grew up in Massachusetts, an area that would feature prominantly in her work. Blessed with an idyllic childhood, Speares went on to graduate from Boston University in 1932. She became a high school teacher, but left teaching when she married in 1936.  She and her husband, Alden Speare, raised their two children in Connecticut. Busy with her family, Speare did not write again until her children were in junior high school.

After having varous articles published, she wrote her first novel for young adults, Calico Captive. It told the story of a girl captured by Indians during the Colonial era. Her next two novels, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and The Bronze Bow, both won Newbery medals. The Witch of Blackbird Pond paints a vivid and engaging picture of the Puritan society of Colonial Connecticut, and The Bronze Bow does the same for Palestine at the time of Christ. Her last book for young adults, The Sign of the Beaver, explores the relationships between Native Americans and European settlers through the eyes of a teenage boy.

In 1989, she was given the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, for "a distinguished and enduring contribution to children's literature." She passed away in 1994 at the age of 86.

 

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16 Items found
Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
1962 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Bronze Bow - Memoria Press Literature Set
from Memoria Press
for 7th grade
in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP)
$35.99
Bronze Bow - Memoria Press Student Guide
from Memoria Press
for 7th grade
in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP)
$13.95 $8.00 (2 in stock)
Bronze Bow - MP Teacher Guide
from Memoria Press
for 7th grade
in Memoria Press Literature & Poetry (Location: LITSG-MP)
$13.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Bronze Bow - Progeny Press Study Guide
Progeny Press Literature Guides
by Carole Pelttari
from Progeny Press
Literature Guide for 6th-8th grade
in Progeny Press Literature Guides (Location: LIT-SGPP)
$24.99
Bronze Bow - TLP Guide
Total Language Plus Literature Guides
from Total Language Plus
for 7th-9th Grade
in Total Language Plus Guides (Location: LITSG-TLP)
Calico Captive
by Elizabeth Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
for 6th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Calico Captive
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Life in Colonial America
Landmark Giant #6
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Random House
for 6th-12th grade
in Landmark Giants (Location: VIN-LAN)
Sign of the Beaver
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1984 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Sign of the Beaver - Guide CD
Progeny Press Literature Guides
by Lisa Leep
from Progeny Press
for 5th-7th grade
in Progeny Press Interactive CDs (Location: LITSG-PPCD)
$11.00
Sign of the Beaver - Progeny Press Study Guide
Progeny Press Literature Guides
by Lisa Leep
from Progeny Press
for 5th-7th grade
in Progeny Press Literature Guides (Location: LIT-SGPP)
Witch of Blackbird Pond
by Elizabeth George Speare
Reissue from Sandpiper Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1959 Newbery Medal winner
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99 $6.00 (3 in stock)
Witch of Blackbird Pond - Progeny Press Study Guide
Progeny Press Literature Guides
by Rebecca Gilleland
from Progeny Press
for 5th-7th grade
in Progeny Press Literature Guides (Location: LIT-SGPP)
$24.99
Witch of Blackbird Pond - TLP Guide
Total Language Plus Literature Guides
from Total Language Plus
for 6th-8th Grade
in Total Language Plus Guides (Location: LITSG-TLP)