Harry Mazer (May 31, 1925 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

– April 7, 2016 in

Montpelier, Vermont Montpelier () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Washington County. The site of Vermont's state government, it is the least populous state capital in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population ...

) was an American writer of books for children and young adults, acclaimed for his "realistic" novels. He has written twenty-two novels, including ''The Solid Gold Kid'', ''The Island Keeper'', ''Heroes Don't Run'', and ''Snow Bound'', which was adapted as an

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

after school special The American Broadcasting Company coined the term Afterschool Special in 1972 with a series of television films, usually dealing with controversial or socially relevant issues, that were generally broadcast in the late afternoon and meant to be ...

, as well as one work of

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

and a few

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

. After attending the

Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science, commonly called Bronx Science, is a public specialized high school in The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Sp ...

Mazer served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in the

U.S. Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

from 1943–45. He became a sergeant, and he received a

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

and an

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

with four bronze oak leaf clusters after his

B-17 bomber The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

was shot down over Czechoslovakia in April 1945. His wartime experiences eventually inspired several works of historical fiction, including ''The Last Mission'' and the ''Boy at War'' series (''A Boy at War'', ''A Boy No More'', and ''Heroes Don't Run''). After returning to the U.S., Mazer went to

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

, where he earned a BA in 1948. From 1950 to 1955 he was a railroad brakeman and switchtender for New York Central. He was an English teacher in upstate New York at the Central Square School for a year, in 1959. In 1960 he received a

M.A. A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from Syracuse University. He has won numerous awards including several 'Best Books' designations from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

, The Knickerbocker Award from the

New York Library Association The New York Library Association (NYLA) is a group that promotes libraries in New York. It was founded in 1890 and was the first statewide organization of librarians in the United States. One of its founders was Melvil Dewey, who has had a last ...

(2001), and The ALAN Award for Contributions to Young Adult Literature (2003). Mazer co-authored three books with his late wife,

Norma Fox Mazer Norma Fox Mazer (May 15, 1931 – October 17, 2009) was an American author and teacher, best known for her books for children and young adults. Her novels featured credible young characters confronting difficult situations such as family separati ...

. He is the father of author Anne Mazer.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mazer, Harry 2016 deaths Writers from New York City American children's writers Union College (New York) alumni 1925 births Recipients of the Air Medal