Virginia Hamilton has established herself as one of the foremost writers for children and young adults. Unlike many authors whose styles and subjects are similar from book to book, Hamilton experiments with techniques and theme; her readers are continually faced with new challenges in her writing. She feels that "every fiction has its own basic reality ... through which the life of characters and their illusions are revealed.... The task for any writer is to discover the 'reality tone' of each work." She is a productive writer, having produced a new book almost every year since 1967, when Zeely was published. A dynamic speaker as well as a fine writer, she is in great demand at national and international conferences.

Virginia Hamilton's maternal grandfather Perry escaped from slavery to Yellow Springs, Ohio, where he eventually purchased land and produced the Perry clan, a large, close-knit family. After their marriage, Hamilton's...