Peter D. Sieruta (October 13, 1958 – May 25, 2012) was an American writer and book critic. He was best known for his reviews for ''

The Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...

'', his short story collection '' Heartbeats and Other Stories'', and his blog, Collecting Children's Literature.

Career

Sieruta first came to prominence due to the 1989 publication of '' Heartbeats and Other Stories'', a collection of nine young adult stories, which attracted positive notice from ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'' and ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

''. After this, however, Sieruta largely moved into criticism and reviewing. In the early 1990s, he was among the first reviewers for ''The Horn Book Guide'', and was a regular contributor to ''

'' from then until his death. As an avid collector of children's books, Sieruta also maintained a blog, Collecting Children's Books, beginning in 2007. At the time of his death, Sieruta had largely completed the manuscript for another book, ''Wild Things!: Acts of Mischief in Children's Books'', co-written with Betsy Bird and Julie Danielson. The book was published by

Candlewick Press Candlewick Press, established in 1992 and located in Somerville, Massachusetts, is part of the Walker Books group. The logo depicting a bear carrying a candle is based on Walker Books's original logo. Sebastian Walker launched Walker Books from ...

in 2014.

Death

Sieruta died in 2012 from complications due to a fall he had suffered several days earlier.

Books

*''Heartbeats and Other Stories'' (1989) *''Wild Things!: Acts of Mischief in Children's Literature'' (2014, with Betsy Bird and Julie Danielson)

References

* Danielson, Julie. (2012). "In Tribute to Peter D. Sieruta". Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/blog/childrens/tribute-peter-d-sieruta/ * Sutton, Roger.(2012). "P.D.S." ''The Horn Book''. Retrieved from http://www.hbook.com/2012/05/blogs/read-roger/p-d-s/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Sieruta, Peter D. 1958 births 2012 deaths American literary critics American children's writers American writers of young adult literature Writers from Michigan