Deborah Heiligman is an American author of books for children and teens. Her work ranges from picture books to young adult novels and includes both fiction and nonfiction.

Early life and education

Heiligman grew up in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...

. She attended William Allen High School (from which she later received a Distinguished Alumni Award), and graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

Career

Heiligman started her writing career working for ''Scholastic News Explorer'', the 4th grade classroom magazine. After the birth of her two children she started to work as a freelance writer. In addition to her books for children and teens, she has written articles for major publications including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'' and for numerous magazines including ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States. In 18 ...

'', ''Sesame Street Parents Guide'' and ''

Parents Magazine ''Parents'' was an American monthly magazine founded in 1926 that featured scientific information on child development geared to help parents in raising their children. Subscribers were notified of the magazine’s dissolution via a postcard maili ...

''.

Awards

''Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith'' was a

Michael L. Printz Award The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by ''Booklist'' magazine; administered by the ALA's y ...

Honor book and winner of the

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, established in 2010, is an annual literary award presented by the Young Adult Library Services Association of the American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonpr ...

for Young Adults. It was also a

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

finalist and a finalist for the

Los Angeles Times Book Prize Since 1980, the ''Los Angeles Times'' has awarded a set of annual book prizes. The Prizes currently have nine categories: biography, current interest, fiction, first fiction (the Art Seidenbaum Award added in 1991), history, mystery/thriller ( ...

. 'Intentions' was the winner of the

Sydney Taylor Book Award The Sydney Taylor Book Award recognizes the best in Jewish children's literature. Medals are awarded annually for outstanding books that authentically portray the Jewish experience. The award was established in 1968 by the Association of Jewish L ...

for Teen readers. She received 2021 Mathical Honors for ''The Boy Who Loved Math.''

Family

In 2014 Heiligman lives in New York City with her husband, Pulitzer Prize winning author

Jonathan Weiner Jonathan Weiner (born November 26, 1953) is an American writer of non-fiction books based on his biological observations, focusing particularly on evolution in the Galápagos Islands, genetics, and the environment. His latest book is ''Long for ...

, who is a professor at Columbia University School of Journalism. They have two grown sons.

Books

*''Into the Night'' (1990) *''Barbara McClintock: Alone in Her Field'' (1994) *''Mark Leakey: In Search of Human Beginnings'' (1995) *''On the Move'' (1996) *''From Caterpillar to Butterfly'' (1996) *''Too Perfect (EEEK! Stories to Make You Shriek)'' (1996) *''The Kid's Guide to Research'' (1998) *''The Story of the Titanic'' (1998) *''Mike Swan, Sink or Swim'' (1998) *''The Mysterious Ocean Highway: Benjamin Franklin and the Gulf Stream'' (2000) *''Earthquakes'' (2002) *''Babies: All You Need to Know'' (2002) *''Honeybees'' (2002) *''High Hopes: A Photobiography of John F. Kennedy'' (2003) *''Fun Dog, Sun Dog'' (2005) *Holidays Around the World series: **''Celebrate Christmas with Carols, Presents and Peace'' (2007) **''Celebrate Easter with Colored Eggs, Flowers, and Prayer'' (2007) **''Celebrate Halloween with Pumpkins, Costumes and Candy'' (2007) **''Celebrate Hanukkah with Light, Latkes, and Dreidels'' (2006) **''Celebrate Independence Day with Parades, Picnics and Fireworks'' (2007) **''Celebrate Passover with Matzah, Maror, and Memories'' (2007) **''Celebrate Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr with Praying, Fasting and Charity'' (2006) **''Celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with Honey, Prayers and the Shofar'' (2007) **''Celebrate Thanksgiving with Turkey, Family and Counting Blessings'' (2006) *''Cool Dog, School Dog'' (2009) *''Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith'' (2009) *''Intentions'' (2012) *''Snow Dog, Go Dog'' (2013) *''The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdös'' (2013) *''Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers'' (2017) *''Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship"'' (2019)

References

Krulwich, Robert
"Death Of Child May Have Influenced Darwin's Work"
''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

'', February 12, 2009. Retrieved on January 10, 2013.

External links

website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heiligman, Deborah Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American women writers 21st-century American women