Carolyn Coman was born October 28, 1951, in Evanston, Illinois, near Chicago. She worked as a bookbinder 1975-84 and later as an editor with Heinemann before she became a full-time writer. She edited Body and Soul, a photo-portrait documentary by Judy Dater, and wrote the text of a children's picture book, prior to completing four young-adult novels from 1993 to 2000. Her novels for middle-grade readers combine humour, investigation and a sense of nostalgia. In the YA novels, "She explores the darker sides of growing up: dealing with parent's abandonment through death in Tell Me Everything, abuse by a stepparent in What Jamie Saw, sibling incest in Bee and Jacky and a political-inspired tragedy in Many Stones." Many Stones was inspired by the murder of Amy Biehl. What Jamie Saw was Newbery Medal honor book and a National Book Award for Young People's Literature finalist. Many Stones was a Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and another National Book Award finalist. Coman has two children and lives in South Hampton, New Hampshire.
Works
Body and Soul: ten American women, edited by Coman, photographs by Judy Dater,
Losing Things at Mr. Mudd's, illustrated by Lance Hidy, picture book - "Youngsters at the book's intended age range may be put off by Mr. Mudd's gruffness--even his eventual relenting bears a grudging tone. Despite the collaborators' evident talents, their work generally lacks child appeal."
Bee and Jacky - "Coman's latest is the literary equivalent of a Diane Arbus photograph: it presents a sharp, shocking picture of pathology, but leaves it to the audience to imagine the world beyond the frame."
Many Stones, Berry reconnects with her father during their journey to South Africa. - "Writing with her usual economy and penetrating insight, Coman portrays a young person searching for something—she's not sure what—and finding it in keeping the link that her sister forged with an amazing people. It's an uplifting tale: harsh, complex, but lit at the end by a promise of reconciliation."
Sneaking Suspicions, illus. Shepperson – sequel to The Big House
The Memory Bank, illus. Shepperson, 288 pp. - "Brilliantly crafted, thoroughly enjoyable and, though so very like Dahl, unique as a fascinating new way to ponder dreams and memories."
Writing Stories: ideas, exercises, and encouragements for teachers and writers of all ages, illus. Shepperson,
