Patricia C. McKissack Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of The Clone Codes Books
The Clone Codes | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Cyborg | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Visitors | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of My Story Books
A Picture Of Freedom | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
An African American Girl's Diary 1859 | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Scraps of Time Books
Abby Takes a Stand | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Away West | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Song for Harlem | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Home-Run King | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Patricia C. McKissack Standalone Novels
Publication Order of Patricia C. McKissack Chapter Books
Let My People Go | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Miami Gets It Straight | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Amistad | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Patricia C. McKissack Collections
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
A Long Hard Journey: The Story of the Pullman Porter | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ralph J. Bunche: Peacemaker | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman? | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Christmas In The Big House, Christmas In The Quarters | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Black Diamond: The Story Of The Negro Baseball Leagues | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Rebels Against Slavery | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Black Hands, White Sails: The Story Of African American Whalers | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Best Shot in the West | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Picture Books
Publication Order of A Stepping Stone Book (TM) Books
Pioneer Cat | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Man in the Iron Mask | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ghost Horse | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Escape South | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Horn for Louis | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Picture for Marc | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Jungle Book | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Spotlight for Harry | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Honey Cake | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Anna Maria's Gift | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
GoldieBlox Chapter Book #1 | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of A Stepping Stone Book (TM)Books
The Chalk Box Kid | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Next Spring an Oriole | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Shadow of the Wolf | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Honey Cake | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of A Stepping Stone Book(TM) Books
The Chalk Box Kid | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Next Spring an Oriole | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Shadow of the Wolf | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Miami Jackson Gets It Straight | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Secret of the Painted House | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Green Ghost | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Honey Cake | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Golden Ghost | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of A Stepping Stone Book(TM) Books
Gulliver's Travels | (1726) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Case of the Elevator Duck | (1973) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Barry: The Bravest Saint Bernard | (1973) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Frankenstein | (1982) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea | (1983) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Knights of the Round Table | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Chalk Box Kid | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Next Spring an Oriole | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Silver | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Minstrel in the Tower | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Pioneer Cat | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Aliens for Breakfast | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Boy Who Ate Dog Biscuits | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Treasure Island | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Hannah | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Aliens for Lunch | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The War of the Worlds | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Night of the Full Moon | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Secret Garden | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Aliens For Dinner | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Three Musketeers | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Smasher | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Shadow of the Wolf | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Paint Brush Kid | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Prince and the Pauper | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Fossil Fever | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Snake Camp | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Wild Horses | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Miami Jackson Sees It Through | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Escape South | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Blue Ghost | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Man in the Iron Mask | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Swiss Family Robinson | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Secret of the Painted House | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mermaids | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Green Ghost | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Jungle Book | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Picture for Marc | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ghost Horse | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Monsters | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Honey Cake ) | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Horn for Louis: Louis Armstrong - as a kid! | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Alice in Wonderland | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Very Little Princess | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Anna Maria's Gift | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Spotlight for Harry | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Golden Ghost | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Very Little Princess: Rose's Story | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Robin Hood: Bullseye Step into Classics | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Stampede of the Supermarket Slugs | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Invasion of the Junkyard Hog | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Time to Be Brave | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
GoldieBlox Chapter Book #1 | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Goldie Blox and the Best! Pet! Ever! | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Goldie Blox and the Best Friend Fail! | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Goldie Blox and the Haunted Hacks! | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Spinjitzu Brothers #4: The Chroma's Clutches | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Tales from the Merged Realms | (2024) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Jerry Pinkney as Illustrator Books
Tales from Africa | (0) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Ugly Duckling | (1843) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Little Match Girl | (1845) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi | (1894) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Education of Henry Adams | (1918) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Early Autumn | (1927) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Flowering of New England | (1936) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Lolita | (1955) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Rabbit, Run | (1960) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Adventures of Spider | (1964) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Year Around Book | (1965) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
This is Music for Kindergarten and Nursery School | (1965) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Traveling Frog | (1966) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Book of Shapes & Sizes | (1966) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Beautiful Blue Jay, and other Tales of India | (1967) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Even Tiny Ants Must Sleep | (1967) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Clock Museum | (1967) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Folktales and Fairytales of Africa | (1967) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Shoes, Pennies, and Rockets | (1968) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kostas the Rooster | (1968) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Twin Witches of Fingle Fu | (1969) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Juano and the Wonderful Fresh Fish. | (1969) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Babushka and the Pig | (1969) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Porcupine and the Tiger | (1970) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Cora Annett's Homerhenry | (1970) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The King's Ditch | (1971) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Planet of Junior Brown | (1971) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Femi and Old Grandaddie | (1972) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
JD | (1973) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kasho and the Twin Flutes. | (1973) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Prince Littlefoot | (1973) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mickey and Minny | (1973) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Great Minu | (1974) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Roots of Time | (1974) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Song of the Trees | (1975) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Wuthering Heights | (1975) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry | (1975) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Yagua Days | (1976) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Winthrop Covenant | (1976) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Gulliver's Travels | (1977) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Selected plays | (1977) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ji-Nongo-Nongo Means Riddles | (1978) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
History of Tom Jones a Founding | (1978) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Childtimes: A Three-Generation Memoir | (1979) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Tonweya and the Eagles | (1979) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
These Thirteen | (1979) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
More Adventures of Spider | (1980) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Count on Your Fingers African Style | (1980) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Covenant | (1980) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Jahdu | (1980) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Rabbit Redux | (1981) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Monster Myths of Ancient Greece | (1981) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Apples On A Stick | (1983) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Patchwork Quilt | (1985) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Half a Moon and One Whole Star | (1986) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Wild Wild Sunflower Child Anna | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Pop-Up: Strange Animals of the Sea | (1987) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mirandy and Brother Wind | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Green Lion of Zion Street | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
More Tales of Uncle Remus | (1988) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Rabbit Makes a Monkey of Lion | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Talking Eggs | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Turtle in July | (1989) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Home Place | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Pretend You're a Cat | (1990) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
In for Winter, Out for Spring | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Man Who Kept His Heart in a Bucket | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Their Eyes Were Watching God | (1991) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
David's Songs | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Back Home | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Drylongso | (1992) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Starlit Somersault Downhill | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
I Want to Be | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
New Shoes for Silvia | (1993) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Sunday Outing | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
John Henry | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Jungle Book | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Tanya's Reunion | (1995) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Sam and the Tigers | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Hired Hand | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Journeys with Elijah | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Aesop's Fables | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Albidaro and the Mischievous Dream | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Goin' Someplace Special | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Noah's Ark | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Nightingale | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
God Bless the Child | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Old African | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Music from Our Lord's Holy Heaven Book and CD | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ain't Nobody a Stranger to Me | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Moon Over Star | (2008) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Sweethearts of Rhythm | (2009) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Starlit Snowfall | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The First Adventures of Spider | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Further Adventures of Spider: West African Folktales | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
In Plain Sight | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Christmas Boot | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Home in the Barn | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Billie Holiday: The Last Interview: and Other Conversations | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Little Mermaid | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Walk in the Woods | (2023) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of The Royal Diaries Books
Mary, Queen of Scots | (1994) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Isabel: Jewel of Castilla | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Marie Antoinette, Princess of Versailles | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Lady of Ch'iao Kuo: Red Bird of the South | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Sŏndŏk: Princess of the Moon and Stars | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Eleanor, Crown Jewel of Aquitaine | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kaiulani | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Jahanara, Princess Of Princesses | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Elisabeth: The Princess Bride | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kristina: The Girl King | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Lady of Palenque: Flower of Bacal | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Anacaona: Golden Flower | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Catherine, The Great Journey | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Dear America Books
When Will This Cruel War Be Over?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson, Gordonsville, Virginia, 1864 | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, 1620 | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Winter Of Red Snow: The Revolutionary War Diary Of Abigail Jane Stewart | (1996) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
I Thought My Soul Would Rise and Fly: The Diary of Patsy, a Freed Girl, Mars Bluff, South Carolina, 1865 | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Picture Of Freedom | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Early Sunday Morning: the Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows, Hawaii, 1941 | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman, a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
West to a Land of Plenty: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763 | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Line in the Sand: The Alamo Diary of Lucinda Lawrence | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Stationery Pack | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic 1912 | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Great Railroad Race | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Great Railroad Race | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
My Heart is on the Ground | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow: The Diary of Sarah Nita, a Navajo Girl | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Color Me Dark: The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, the Great Migration North | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Coal Miner's Bride: The Diary of Anetka Kaminska, Lattimer, Pennsylvania, 1896 | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck, Long Island, New York 1941 | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping: The Diary of Julie Weiss, Vienna, Austria to New York 1938 | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, Indiana 1932 | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Valley of the Moon: The Diary of María Rosalía de Milagros, Sonoma Valley, Alta Valley, California, 1846, | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
My Face to the Wind: The Diary of Sarah Jane Price, a Prairie Teacher, Broken Bow, Nebraska 1881 | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
When Christmas Comes Again: The World War I Diary of Simone Spencer | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
My Secret War : The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Time for Courage: The Suffragette Diary of Kathleen Bowen, Washington, D.C. 1917 | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Where Have All the Flowers Gone? | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: The Diary of Bess Brennan, The Perkins School for the Blind, 1932 | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards, Dalhart, Texas 1935 | (2002) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
So Far From Home: the Diary of Mary Driscoll, an Irish Mill Girl, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1847 | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Love Thy Neighbor: The Tory Diary of Prudence Emerson | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Land of the Buffalo Bones: The Diary of Mary Ann Elizabeth Rodgers, An English Girl in Minnesota | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
All the Stars in the Sky | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild, California Territory 1849 | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild, California Territory 1849 | (2003) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Look to the Hills: The Diary of Lozette Moreau, a French Slave Girl, New York Colony 1763 | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Hear My Sorrow: The Diary of Angela Denoto, a Shirtwaist Worker, New York City 1909 | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
I Walk in Dread: The Diary of Deliverance Trembley, Witness to the Salem Witch Trials, Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1691 | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Fences Between Us: The Diary of Piper Davis, Seattle, Washington, 1941 | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Like the Willow Tree | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Cannons at Dawn | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
With the Might of Angels: The Diary of Dawnie Rae Johnson, Hadley, Virginia, 1954 | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Behind the Masks: The Diary of Angeline Reddy, Bodie, California, 1880 | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Down the Rabbit Hole, Chicago, Illinois, 1871: The Diary of Pringle Rose | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A City Tossed and Broken: The Diary of Minnie Bonner, San Francisco, California, 1906 | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Anthologies
It's Great to Be Eight | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Exquisite Corpse Adventure | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Patricia C. McKissack was a renowned American writer, who was famous for writing children’s books. She had written several widely successful book series in her career such Dear America, The Clone Codes, Scraps of Time, Messy Bessey, Miami Jackson, etc. Throughout the course of her career, author McKissack had written more than 100 books. Some of the most popular ones include Color Me Dark, Look to the Hills, The Royal Diaries, A Slave Girl, The Great Migration North, French Slave GIrl, etc. McKissack was born on August 9, 1944, and died on April 7, 2017. She was the winner of the Regina Medal along with her husband named Frederick McKissack. They had won this award in 1998. Frederick breathed his last in April 2013. He was working in the United States Marine as a civil engineer prior to his marriage with McKissack. But, after the marriage, he gave up his military career and started writing full time.
In addition to writing children’s stories, McKissack was a member on the board of National Children’s Book & Literacy Alliance, a non-profit organization that worked for literacy, libraries, and literature. Besides writing under her original name, McKissack was known to use several pen names like Pat McKissack, Patricia McKissack, and L’Ann Carwell for writing different types of novels. At the time of McKissack’s birth, her parents, Emma and Robert Carwell, were working as civil servants. Her mother was driving force who inspired her to take up writing as a career. McKissack’s mother used to read poetry to her, while her grandparents used to tell her different types of exciting stories.
The stories that she used to hear from her father mostly include her name and that of her siblings, Sarah and Nolan. All the stories that McKissack heard from her family members contained brave and smart characters, who inspired McKissack to develop the characters of her stories with similar qualities. Author McKissack spent her earlier years growing up in the south. When she was writing her 2000 book called Going Someplace Special, McKissack remembered the place that she liked to visit the most, that is, the Public Library of Nashville. This was her favorite place because she was always welcome there and where she developed an interest in reading. A number of the stories that McKissack heard from her parents and grandparents as a child, were later developed into stories by her as a writer for young adults and children.
When McKissack was studying at the Tennessee State University, she came across her childhood friend and future husband Frederick McKissack. She completed her graduate degree in English in 1964. At the same time, Frederick earned his civil engineering degree. The two were married in 1965 and began their family immediately after. For a brief period later, she lived in Missouri and studied at the Webster University. She obtained her master’s degree in the subject of child education. After this, she worked as a teacher of English at a junior high school. It was in 1971 that McKissack realized her real interest was in becoming an author. So, she gave up teaching altogether and started writing on a full-time basis.
McKissack collaborated with Frederick for the first time to write a novel in 1984. It was a Paul Lawrence Dunbar biography, who was the favorite poet of her mother. After this, McKissack wrote several more biographies. McKissack had started her literary career on the professional level in 1975. Most of her initial works were nonfiction. She used to focus on social issues like racism very much. McKissack switched to writing the first picture book, Fossie and the Fox, when she had already 20 nonfiction novels. The book was rejected by Ann Schwartz, a Dial Press editor, saying that it was very long. McKissack didn’t want to shorten the manuscript, but was forced to reduce it to 6 pages in order to get it accepted for publishing. Frederick and McKissack remained writing partners throughout their lives. They spent 20 years of their lives working together. McKissack had won many accolades and recognitions throughout the courses of her career, including the Coretta Scott Award, Newbery Medal, Boston Globe Award, NAACP Image Award, Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, etc. McKissack’s twin sons are fully grown. They are holding respectable positions in the fields of journalism and writing. McKissack used to enjoy spending time with her grandchildren during her spare times. She loved growing roses in her garden.
A very popular book series written by author Patricia C. McKissack is known as The Clone Codes series. It consists of three books in total, published between 2010 and 2012. This series is set in a highly advanced technological 22nd century. McKissack has depicted that clones and cyborgs are treated as slaves and a secret abolition movement is started to obtain their freedom. The debut book of this series is entitled ‘The Clone Codes’. It was published by the Scholastic Press in 2010. The central character of this book is shown as Leanna. The book’s story begins by introducing Leanna as a 13-year-old girl. Following the end of Cyborg Ward, Earth peace sustains on Earth for over a hundred years. In 2170, the situation turns volatile again when history begins to repeat itself. In spite of the political and technological advancements, cyborgs & clones are forced to like slaves. To fight for their freedom, an abolitionist movement is set in motion. Leanna’s whole life is turned into chaos when she comes to know that her mother is a part of the movement undertaken by Liberty Bell. This book provides a quick and enjoyable read with elements of history to the readers of middle age groups.
Another exciting novel of this series is called ‘The Visitors’. The Scholastic Press released this novel too in 2012. In this book, author McKissack has provided a stunning conclusion to the trilogy series. The novel’s plot opens up by showing that the Topas Corporation is responsible for the production of clones. But, this organization is suspected of using a wicked operation system. Other than the authorized officials of Topas, no one else is allowed to enter inside. The clones and the officials are the only ones to know what is actually happening inside the walls of the world’s most powerful and largest cloning company. In the meantime, Leanna Deberry is labeled as a fugitive along with her cyborg named Houston Ye and a clone named Carlos. A huge reward is set as a bounty on their heads for capturing them alive. Leanna works out with the cyborg and the clone to reveal the wrongdoings in the Topas cloning company and the mass slavery of the clones & cyborgs. This book too provides an interesting read to the children along with exciting twists and turns. This novel was also appreciated for its interesting set of characters and futuristic elements.
Book Series In Order » Authors »