Since her first young-adult novel, Homecoming, appeared in 1981, Cynthia Voigt has had more than a dozen books published and has received the prestigious Newbery Medal for Homecoming's sequel, Dicey's Song. She is recognized as an accomplished storyteller who creates well-developed characters, interesting plots, and authentic atmosphere. In her stories she examines such serious topics as child abandonment, verbal abuse, racism, and coping with amputation. "Writing is something I need to do to keep myself on an even keel. It's kept me quiet; it's kept me off the streets."¹

Voigt's books are primarily set in the eastern part of the United States, a part of the country with which she is most familiar. She was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1942, grew up in rural southern Connecticut, went to boarding school in Massachusetts, lived in Pennsylvania for a while, and is now living in Maryland. "I think what it...