Make Way for Sam Houston

Jean Fritz

Penguin Young Readers Group, Jul 1, 1998 - Juvenile Nonfiction - 109 pages

Colorful Sam Houston leaps to life in the pages of this fresh and funny biography, set against the story of Texas?s fight for independence from Mexico. ?Lively, readable, and solidly researched, this is the kind of biography every child needs.? ? Booklist, starred review ?Jean Fritz has done it again.?Her writing turns this larger-than-life character into a very real person.?? School Library Journal, starred review ?Young readers will find the book fast-paced and fact-packed.? ? The New York Times Book Review Jean Fritz lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York.

What people are saying

MAKE WAY FOR SAM HOUSTON

User Review  - Jane Doe - Kirkus

Fritz, award-winning biographer (the 1985 Regina Medal and the 1986 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award), has a genius for selection of details which illuminate her subject, neatly fit her careful design, and ...

Contents

• Section 1: 9
• Section 2: 21
• Section 3: 36

About the author

The question I am most often asked," Jean Fritz says, "is how do I find my ideas? The answer is: I don't. Ideas find me. A character in history will suddenly step right out of the past and demand a book. Generally people don't bother to speak to me unless there's a good chance that I'll take them on." Throughout almost four decades of writing about history, Jean Fritz has taken on plenty of people, starting with George Washington in The Cabin Faced West (1958). Since then, her refreshingly informal historical biographies for children have been widely acclaimed as "unconventional," "good-humored," "witty," "irrepressible," and "extraordinary."

In her role as biographer, Jean Fritz attempts to uncover the adventures and personalities behind each character she researches. "Once my character and I have reached an understanding," she explains, "then I begin the detective work--reading old books, old letters, old newspapers, and visiting the places where my subject lived. Often I turn up surprises and of course I pass these on." It is her penchant for making distant historical figures seem real that brings the characters to life and makes the biographies entertaining, informative, and filled with natural child appeal.

An original and lively thinker, as well as an inspiration to children and adults, Jean Fritz is undeniably a master of her craft. She was awarded the Regina Medal by the Catholic Library Association, presented with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award by the American Library Association for her "substantial and lasting contribution to children's literature," and honored with the Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature, which was presented by the New York State Library Association for her body of work.

copyright ? 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Make Way for Sam Houston; Unforgettable Americans
• Author: Jean Fritz
• Illustrated by: Elise Primavera
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group, 1998
• ISBN: 0698116461, 9780698116467
• Length: 109 pages
• Subjects: Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Historical; Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Political; Juvenile Nonfiction / History / United States / State & Local