Remembering Author Richard Peck

Author Richard Peck passed away at 84, leaving behind dozens of books for all ages. 

He collected some of the highest acclaim the literary world has to offer, including a 2001 Newbery Medal for A Year Down Yonder (which features one of his most memorable characters, the inimitable Grandma Dowdel). In 2002, he became the first children's author to win a National Humanities Medal. He won the Edgar Allan Poe award for his 1978 YA thriller, Are You in the House Alone?, and he was a finalist for the National Book Award multiple times.

Peck was an award-winner at The New York Public Library as well. A city dweller himself, he spoke at the Library's award reception in 2016 after his final book was named to NYPL's Best Books for Kids list that year.

Many of Peck's themes touch on being a kid coming into the world of adults, and the accompanying confusion and acceptance that accompanies growing up. His deft touch and colorful characters, plus plenty of his trademark humor, endear his books to readers of all ages. 

He also wrote nonfiction for adults, such as Invitations to the World: Teaching and Writing for the Young, that took a strong position on authors' and educators' responsibility to young people. And he gave advice to his readers, too, like this quote from The Best Man:

Stay away from people who don't know who they are but want you to be just like them. People who'll want to label you. People who'll try to write their fears on your face. 

Middle-Grade Novels

Here Lies the Librarian (2006)

Secrets at Sea (2011)

The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail (2013)

The Best Man (2016)

Fiction for Young Adults, Short Stories, and More 

Are You in the House Alone? (1978)

A Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories (1998)

Past Perfect, Present Tense: New and Collected Stories (2004)

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, with a new introduction written by Peck (2008)

Check out the full complement of Peck's books in our catalog. And if you have opinions about Peck's work, let us know in the comments.

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