Lois Lowry proves that you can change your stars at any time in your life. Her first novel wasn’t published until she approached her fourth decade in life. For a comedy writer, that first novel, which was called A Summer to Die, was awfully serious. She would soon find her groove, however, and produce some outstanding titles over the next 30 years.
1. A Double Winner
Some authors would give just about anything to win a Newbery Award. Lowry has actually one two of them. The first was for her novel Number the Stars, which was published in 1989. Four years later, she would be awarded with her second award for The Giver, which was turned into a movie in 2014.
2. Incredibly Versatile
Lowry has written a number of children’s books on a variety of subjects. From World War II to a dystopian future, many of her stories are reflective of her background. She wanted to be a writer from an early age and her father was an officer in the Army and worked as a dentist. She toured the world before she even graduated from high school.
3. A Difficult Year
For nearly 20 years, Lowry followed her naval officer husband around from base to base. The two got married when she was just 19 and they wound up having four children together. In many ways, her first novel was a coping mechanism because it reflected her own experiences of what it was like to lose a sister. She was also going through a divorce during the time. That seriousness, however, allowed for some incredible creative output later on.
4. A Touching Tribute
Lowry lost her son in 1995 as he served in the Air Force, being killed in a plane crash. Her granddaughter was just a toddler at the time. She dug through all of her old family photos and crafted a story, called Looking Back, that could serve as a reminder for her granddaughter of the life that her father had lived.
Lois Lowry often examines personal and difficult issues within her stories. This has caused some to criticize her writing, but she doesn’t back down. With three sequels already published to The Giver, Hollywood has plenty of material still left to examine.
