Garden, Nancy

While working as an editor for Scholastic and Houghton Mifflin, Nancy Garden began writing young adult books. Her first books were primarily non-fiction, but she soon turned to mystery, fantasy and y.a. fiction. Her book, Annie On My Mind, became the focus of a Federal Courts censorship case in 1995. Since then, Garden has continued to advocate against book censorship.

From the description of Mystery of the kidnapped kidnapper : production material, 1994. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62496844

From the description of Good moon rising : production material, 1996. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62439226

From the description of Mystery of the secret marks : production material, 1989. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62496845

From the description of Prisoner of vampires : production material, 1984. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62496846

From the description of The kids' code and cipher book : production material, 1981. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62496843

From the description of The door between : production material, 1987. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62496839

From the description of Mystery of the night raiders : production material, 1987. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62439228

From the description of Fours crossing : production material, 1981. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62496841

From the description of Favorite tales from Grimm : production material, 1982. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62496840

From the description of Annie on my mind : production material, 1982. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62518289

From the description of Mystery of the midnight menace : production material, 1988. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62518291

From the description of Watersmeet : production material, 1983. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62518292

From the description of My sister, the vampire : production material, 1992. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62518290

From the description of Mystery of the watchful witches : production material, 1995. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62682573

From the description of Dove and sword : a novel of Joan of Arc : production material, 1995. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62375017

From the description of Peace, O River : production material, 1986. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62375019

From the description of Papers, 1981- (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62375020

From the description of Lark in the morning : production material, 1991. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62375018

Nancy Garden was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 15, 1938. Because her family moved a great deal, she attended elementary schools in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. She earned an M.F.A. from Columbia University in 1961, and an M.A. in 1962. After working in theater and teaching at Hunter College, she began working as an editor for a commercial editing firm, then for Scholastic magazines and Houghton-Mifflin, while beginning her career as an author of young adult books.

Her first titles were mostly nonfiction, but soon she began to focus on fiction of several kinds, including mystery, fantasy, and young adult, which led to her involvement with book censorship issues. Her book Annie on My Mind became the subject of a federal court case in 1995 and was eventually returned to the school library shelves. Since then Garden has written about and continues to advocate against book censorship. She has won the ALA Best Books, ALA Best of the Best, and ALA Best Books for Young Adults awards, among other awards.

Biographical Sources: Something About the Author, vol. 12, 77, 114, 147; Something About the Author Autobiography Series vol. 8; Children's Literature Review vol. 51

From the guide to the Nancy Garden papers, 1982-2007, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])