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Nancy Barbara Bond

ナンシー・バーバラ・ボンド

Nancy Barbara Bond

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1945-01-08 （Bethesda, Maryland, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Bethesda, Maryland (born) → Concord, Massachusetts (grew up) → London (spent one year at age eight) → Aberystwyth, Wales (college) → Concord, Massachusetts (later life, bookseller, writer)

Career

Occupations
children's author, librarian, professor, bookseller
Active Years
1966-
Affiliations
Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature (faculty), Gardner Public Library, Massachusetts (head librarian), Massachusetts Audubon Society (administrative assistant)

Education

Mount Holyoke College
English
Degree: B.A.
Period: 1962-1966
Year of Graduation: 1966
Country: United States
B.A. in English literature
College of Librarianship, Aberystwyth (now part of Aberystwyth University)
Library studies
Period: 1971-1972
Year of Graduation: 1972
Country: United Kingdom (Wales)
Completed graduate studies in librarianship

Awards

Newbery Honor
1977
Work: A String in the Harp
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALA)
Result: Honor
Tir na n-Og Award
1977
Work: A String in the Harp
Category: English-language children's book about Wales
Organization: Welsh Arts Council
Result: Winner
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award
1981
Work: The Voyage Begun
Organization: The Boston Globe / The Horn Book
Result: Winner
Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor
1977
Work: A String in the Harp
Organization: The Boston Globe / The Horn Book
Result: Honor
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
1984
Work: A Place to Come Back To
Organization: American Library Association (ALA)
Result: List
International Reading Association Award
1977
Work: A String in the Harp
Organization: International Reading Association
Result: Winner
Booklist Editor's Choice
1984
Work: A Place to Come Back To
Organization: Booklist
Result: Selected

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A String in the Harp

1976 children's fantasy / historical elements

Tells the story of an American family spending a year in Wales after the death of their mother. Blends folklore and fantasy with coming-of-age themes.

loss and healingcoming-of-ageWelsh folklorenature

The Best of Enemies

1978 children's / young adult

A young readers' novel centered on friendship and conflict, focusing on character growth and reconciliation.

friendshipconflict and reconciliationgrowth

Country of Broken Stone

1980 children's literature / historical elements

Set in a regional locale, the story ties past events and landscape to the lives of its characters.

historylandscape and people

The Voyage Begun

1981 children's literature

A work dealing with adventure and journey; critically praised and winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award.

journeyadventureself-discovery

A Place to Come Back To

1984 young adult / children's literature

A young-adult work focusing on belonging and identity; listed among ALA Best Books for Young Adults and a Booklist Editor's Choice.

belongingfamilyidentity

Another Shore

1988 children's literature

A work thematically concerned with separation and new beginnings.

separationnew beginnings

Truth To Tell

1994 children's / young adult

Deals with themes of truth, morality, confession, and interpersonal relationships.

truthethicsrelationships

The Love of Friends

1997 children's literature

Explores the value of friendship and interpersonal bonds, with short-story elements.

friendshipcommunity

Bibliography

  • A String in the Harp, Atheneum (New York), 1976
  • The Best of Enemies, Atheneum (New York), 1978
  • Country of Broken Stone, Atheneum (New York), 1980
  • The Voyage Begun, Atheneum (New York), 1981
  • A Place to Come Back To, Atheneum (New York), 1984
  • Another Shore, Macmillan (New York), 1988
  • Truth To Tell, McElderry Books (New York), 1994
  • The Love of Friends, McElderry Books (New York), 1997

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical prose with emphasis on landscapeblend of folklore and realism
Recurring Motifs
Welsh landscape and folklorenaturemusic (harp)loss and renewal

Legacy

Nancy Bond is known for blending Welsh folklore and nature with realistic children's fiction. Her debut A String in the Harp received a Newbery Honor and the Tir na n-Og Award and continues to be reissued.

Academic Societies

  • Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature (associated)

Archives

  • Concord Free Public Library: Nancy Bond Papers, 1972–1996

Quotes

  • “Each of my stories is tied firmly to a geographical setting, which plays an important part in the development of the book.”
    Source: Interview with Raymond Thompson

Trivia

  • Spent one year in London at age eight while her father held a Fulbright scholarship.
  • Debut children's novel A String in the Harp received a Newbery Honor in 1977.
  • Taught at Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature from 1979 to 2001.
  • Her books have been reissued several times and remain in print.