Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (November 12, 1928 – March 12, 2019) was an American children's writer. She wrote more than 130 books for children and teens and her books have been translated into several languages. They have won awards including Book of the Year by the Library of Congress or have become selections by the

Literary Guild The Literary Guild of America is a mail order book club selling low-cost editions of selected current books to its members. Established in 1927 to compete with the Book of the Month Club, it is currently owned by Bookspan. It was a way to encourag ...

. Perhaps Sharmat's most popular work features the child detective

Nate the Great ''Nate the Great'' is a series of 30 children's detective stories written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat featuring the eponymous boy detective, Nate the Great. Sharmat and illustrator Marc Simont inaugurated the series in 1972 with ''Nate the Gre ...

. He was inspired by and named after her father, who lived to see the first Nate book published. One story, ''Nate the Great Goes Undercover'', was

adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

as a made-for-TV movie that won the Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival Award. Sharmat's husband Mitchell Sharmat expanded Nate's storyline by creating Olivia Sharp, his cousin and fellow detective. Husband and wife wrote four Olivia Sharp books published 1989 to 1991. During the 1990s, their son

Craig Sharmat Craig Lynden Sharmat (born October 8, 1957) is an American musician. He composes music for television and film and is an accomplished guitarist whose work has been noticed in the smooth jazz charts. He has scored a wide variety of reality shows ...

(then in his thirties) wrote three Nate books with his mother. In the late 2010s, their other son Andrew co-wrote the last two Nate books written while Marjorie Weinman Sharmat was alive. With Marjorie Weinman Sharmat's passing in 2019 Andrew has continued writing the series with Nate the Great and the Earth Day Robot (2021). In the mid-1980s Sharmat wrote three books published in 1984 and 1985 under the pseudonym Wendy Andrews (

below Below may refer to: *Earth *Ground (disambiguation) *Soil *Floor *Bottom (disambiguation) Bottom may refer to: Anatomy and sex * Bottom (BDSM), the partner in a BDSM who takes the passive, receiving, or obedient role, to that of the top or ...

). Sharmat also wrote the Sorority Sisters series, eight short novels published in 1986 and 1987 (not listed below). They are

romantic fiction A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

with a sense of humor. They are set in a California public high school (

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compar ...

for ages 14 to 18, approximately).

Life

Sharmat, who was born in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

, on November 12, 1928, graduated from Westbrook Junior College in 1948. Sharmat's parents were Nathan and Anna Richardson Weinman. Nathan Weinman was a dry goods manufacturer and dealer. She had one sister, Rosalind. Sharmat died on March 12, 2019, at the age of 90.

Works

Many of Sharmat's publications belong to one of the series (

)

(from 1972), Morris Brookside (1973–1974), Olivia Sharp (1989–1991), or Duz Shedd (1993–2000). * ''Rex'' (

Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

, 1967),

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

illustrated by Emily McCully (this list otherwise mixes picture books and longer works without comment) * ''Goodnight, Andrew; Goodnight Craig'' (

Harper Harper may refer to: Names * Harper (name), a surname and given name Places ;in Canada * Harper Islands, Nunavut *Harper, Prince Edward Island ;In the United States *Harper, former name of Costa Mesa, California in Orange County * Harper, Il ...

, 1969), illus. Mary Chalmers – named after sons Andrew Sharmat and

* ''Gladys Told Me to Meet Her Here'' (

, 1970), illus.

Edward Frascino Edward Frascino is an American illustrator and author. He is perhaps best known for his illustrations in E. B. White, E.B. White's ''The Trumpet of the Swan''. Biography Frascino is the son of Mario and Rose Frascino. He is of Albanians, Albani ...

* ''A Visit with Rosalind'' (

Macmillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMillan ...

, 1971), illus. Lisl Weil – named after sister Rosalind Weinman * ''51 Sycamore Lane'' (

, 1971), illus. Lisl Weil * ''A Hot Thirsty Day'' (

, 1971), illus.

Rosemary Wells Rosemary Wells (born January 29, 1943) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. She is well known for using animal characters to address real human issues. Some of her most well-known characters are Max & Ruby (later adapted into ...

* ''Getting Something on Maggie Marmelstein'' (

, 1971), illus. Ben Shecter * ''Sophie and Gussie'', 1973 * ''I Want Mama'', 1974 (illus.

Emily Arnold McCully Emily Arnold McCully (born July 1, 1939) is an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's books. She won the annual Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration in 1993 recognizing ''Mirette on the High Wire'' which she ...

); German edition, ''Mama liegt im Krankenhaus'' (

Carlsen Carlsen is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Carl". The form Karlsen is cognate. The parallel Swedish forms are Carlsson and Karlsson. Notable people with the surname include: * Agnete Carlsen (born 1971), Norwegian footb ...

, 1976) * ''Walter the Wolf'', 1975 (illus.

Kelly Oechsli Kelly Oechsli (23 February 1918 – 18 October 1999) was an American illustrator (and occasionally author) of children's books. He illustrated Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock books, as well as children's encyclopediae such as the young children's e ...

) * ''Mooch the Messy'', 1976 (illus. Ben Shecter) * ''I'm Terrific'', 1977 (illus.

Kay Chorao Kay Chorao, born as Ann McKay Sproat on January 7, 1936,
Children Literature Networ ...

) * ''Mitchell Is Moving'', 1978 * ''A Big Fat Enormous Lie'', 1978 * ''Thornton, the Worrier'', 1978 * ''Mooch the Messy Meets Prudence the Neat'', 1978 * ''Mr. Jameson & Mr. Phillips'', 1979 * ''Uncle Boris and Maude'', 1979 * ''I Am Not a Pest'', 1979 * ''Griselda's New Year'', 1979 * ''Octavia Told Me a Secret'', 1979 * ''Say Hello, Vanessa'', 1979 (illus.

Lillian Hoban Lillian Hoban (May 18, 1925 – July 17, 1998) was an American illustrator and children's writer best known for picture books created with her husband Russell Hoban. According to OCLC, she has published 326 works in 1,401 publications in 11 lan ...

) * ''Scarlet Monster Lives Here'', 1979 (illus. Dennis Kendrick) * ''The Trolls of Twelfth Street'', 1979 * ''Sasha the Silly'', 1979 * ''The 329th Friend'', 1979 * ''The Day I was Born'', 1980 * ''

Gila Monsters Meet you at the Airport ''Gila Monsters Meet You at the Airport'' () is a 1980 children's book by Marjorie Sharmat, and illustrated by Byron Barton. It was published by Simon and Schuster. This book was featured on episode 8 of the children's show ''Reading Rainbow''.R ...

'', 1980 (illus. by

Byron Barton Byron Barton (September 8, 1930 – June 3, 2023) was an American writer and illustrator of children's picture books. His works received six ALA Notable Book Awards, five SLJ Best Books of the Year selections, and two ''Reading Rainbow'' picks ...

) * ''Griselda's New Year'', 1980 (illus. Normand Chartier) * ''Grumley the Grouch'', 1980 (illus.

Kay Chorao Kay Chorao, born as Ann McKay Sproat on January 7, 1936,
Children Literature Networ ...

) * ''Sometimes Mama and Papa Fight'', 1980 (illus.

Kay Chorao Kay Chorao, born as Ann McKay Sproat on January 7, 1936,
Children Literature Networ ...

) * ''What Are we Going to do About Andrew?'', 1980 * ''Lucretia the Unbearable'', 1981 * ''Rollo and Juliet'', 1981 * ''Twitchell the Wishful'', 1981 * ''Chasing After Annie'', 1981 * ''Little Devil Gets Sick'', 1982 (illus. Marylin Hafner) * ''Two Ghosts on a Bench'', 1982 * ''How to Meet a Gorgeous Guy'', 1983 * ''I Saw Him First'' (

Delacorte Press Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and ...

, 1983) –

for teens * ''The Seven Sloppy Days of Phineas Pig'', 1983 (illus. Sue Truesdell) * ''Rich Mitch'', 1983 * ''How to Meet a Gorgeous Girl'', 1984 * ''He Noticed I'm Alive – and Other Hopeful Signs'', 1984 * ''My Mother Never Listens to Me'' 1984 (illus. Lynn Munsinger) * ''Supergirl Storybook: Based on the Motion Picture Supergirl'', G. P. Putnam, 1984 (as Wendy Andrews) * ''Vacation Fever!'', Pacer Books, 1984 (as Wendy Andrews) * ''Are We There Yet?'', Pacer Books, 1985 (as Wendy Andrews) * ''One Terrific Thanksgiving'', 1985 * ''Two Guys Noticed Me – and Other Miracles'', 1985 * ''Get Rich Mitch'', 1985 * ''Hooray for Mother's Day!'', 1986 * ''Hooray for Father's Day!'', 1987 * ''I'm the Best'', 1991 (illus. Will Hillenbrand)

Morris Brookside

Illustrated by Ronald Himler: * ''Morris Brookside, a Dog'', 1973 * ''Morris Brookside is Missing'' 1974

Duz Shedd, or Genghis Kahn

Illustrated by Mitchell Rigie: # ''Hollywood Hound: A Duz Shedd Story'' (AKA ''The Great Genghis Khan Look-Alike Contest''), 1993 # ''A Dog Star is Born: A Duz Shedd Story'' (AKA ''Genghis Kahn: A Dog Star is Born'') 1994 # ''Dog-Gone Hollywood: A Duz Shedd Story'' (AKA ''Genghis Kahn: Dog-Gone Hollywood'') 1994 # ''Dirty Tricks: A Duz Shedd Story'', 2000

Nate the Great ''Nate the Great'' is a series of 30 children's detective stories written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat featuring the eponymous boy detective, Nate the Great. Sharmat and illustrator Marc Simont inaugurated the series in 1972 with ''Nate the Gre ...

Illustrated primarily by

Marc Simont Marc Simont (November 23, 1915 – July 13, 2013) was a Paris-born American artist, political cartoonist, and illustrator of more than a hundred children's books. Inspired by his father, Spanish painter Joseph Simont, he began drawing at an early ...

, later by Martha Weston (as chapter books), recently by Jody Wheeler (also as chapter books): # ''

'', 1972 # ''Nate the Great Goes Undercover'', 1974 # ''Nate the Great and the Lost List'', 1975 # ''Nate the Great and the Phony Clue'', 1977 # ''Nate the Great and the Sticky Case'', 1978 # ''Nate the Great and the Missing Key'', 1981 # ''Nate the Great and the Snowy Trail'', 1983 # ''Nate the Great and the Fishy Prize'', 1985 # ''Nate the Great Stalks Stupidweed'', 1986 # ''Nate the Great and the Boring Beach Bag'', 1987 # ''Nate the Great Goes Down in the Dumps'', 1989 # ''Nate the Great and the Halloween Hunt'', 1989 # ''Nate the Great and the Musical Note'', 1990 (written with son

) # '' Nate the Great and the Stolen Base'', 1992 # '' Nate the Great and the Pillowcase'', 1993 (with sister Rosalind Weinman) # ''Nate the Great and the Mushy Valentine'', 1994 # ''Nate the Great and the Tardy Tortoise'', 1995 (with

) # ''Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas'', 1996 (with

) # ''Nate the Great Saves the King of Sweden'', 1997 # ''Nate the Great and Me: The Case of the Fleeing Fang'', 1998 # ''Nate the Great and the Monster Mess'', 1999 # ''Nate the Great, San Francisco Detective'', 2000 (written with husband Mitchell Sharmat) # ''Nate the Great and the Big Sniff'', 2001 (with Mitchell Sharmat) # ''Nate the Great on the Owl Express'', 2003 # ''Nate the Great Talks Turkey'', 2006 (with Mitchell Sharmat; illus. Jody Wheeler) # ''Nate the Great and the Hungry Book Club'', 2009 (with Mitchell Sharmat; illus. Jody Wheeler) # ''Nate the Great, Where Are You?'', 2015 (with Mitchell Sharmat, illus. Jody Wheeler) # ''Nate the Great and the Missing Birthday Snake'', 2018 (with son Andrew Sharmat, illus. Jody Wheeler) # ''Nate the Great and the Wandering Word'', 2019 (with son Andrew Sharmat, illus. Jody Wheeler)

Olivia Sharp

Featuring

's cousin, Olivia Sharp, "Agent for Secrets". Co-written with husband Mitchell Sharmat and illustrated by Denise Brunkus: # ''The Pizza Monster'', 1989 # ''Princess of the Filmore Street School'', 1989 # ''The Sly Spy'', 1990 # ''The Green Toenails Gang'', 1991 # ''Akulakhan'', 2002

References

External links

*
Nate the Great
at publisher

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

Maine Writers Index: S
at Waterboro Public Library, Maine (archived 2006-05-03)

(November 2000?) at Greenville Public Library, Rhode Island

at Aga-search.com (Japanese language) * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharmat, Marjorie W. 1928 births 2019 deaths American children's writers American romantic fiction writers Writers from Portland, Maine American women children's writers Westbrook College alumni Women romantic fiction writers 21st-century American women