Born: 1954
Ohio connection: Birth
Painesville
Elizabeth A. Alder was born in 1954 in Painesville, Ohio. An award-winning author of historical fiction for children and young adults, Alder’s path toward becoming a writer has its roots in dinner table conversations with her father, a gifted storyteller who helped found the Lake County Public Defender’s Office. It wasn’t until an essay she’d written was published in Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine more than 25 years ago that she really got hooked on writing.
After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a bachelor’s degree in English and education, Alder taught English and Medieval History at a boarding school for girls. She has been a book reviewer and feature writer for The Plain Dealer, Cleveland Parent magazine, and The Harford Edition in Baltimore, MD. Her books include The King’s Shadow (1995) and Crossing the Panther’s Path (2003).
Alder’s mission, she has said, is to research her story and subject thoroughly, then weave a tale that will capture young readers’ attention and keep them reading. In a July 5, 1995, interview with The Plain Dealer, she stated, “I think my greatest asset as a writer is detail and making readers feel they are there.”
Elizabeth Alder lives in Northeast Ohio.
Awards:
The ALA Best Book for Young Adults (1995); International Reading Association (IRA) Book Award (1996); School Library Journal Best book of the Year; Friends of American Writers Award Chicago, Juvenile Category (1996) for The King’s Shadow; NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the field of Social Studies for Crossing the Panther’s Path (2003).
Additional Resources:
Elizabeth Alder. The author’s official website.