Material was donated by Patricia Reilly Giff from 1980-1984.
Noncirculating; available for research.
The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials, other than that noted above.
Patricia Reilly Giff was born on April 26, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. She received her undergraduate degree from Marymount College in 1956 and a master's degree in 1958 from St. John's University. After graduation, she worked as a public school reading teacher in both New York City and Elmont, New York. She received a professional reading diploma in 1975 from Hofstra University. Ms. Giff also worked as a reading consultant and an editorial consultant for Dell Publishing.
In 1979 she began writing books for middle-grade readers. She is most noted for her humorous stories that deal with real life situations based on her own experiences with children. She has written many series books including the "Kids of the Polk Street School," "New Kids at the Polk Street School," "Polk Street Specials," and "Polka Dot, Private Eye" series. Her "Friends and Amigos" series explores friendships through Spanish culture and language. Casey Valentine and her friends became popular characters in Fourth-Grade Celebrity (1979), The Girl Who Knew It All (1979), Left-Handed Shortstop (1980), The Winter Worm Business (1981), and Love, from the Fifth Grade Celebrity (1986). Abby Jones became another popular character solving mysteries in Have You Seen Hyacinth Macaw? (1981), Loretta P. Sweeney, Where Are You? (1983), and Tootsie Tanner Why Don't You Talk? (1987).
Ms. Giff and her son, Jim opened a children's bookstore in 1990 called "The Dinosaur's Paw," after a "Polk Street School" book that she wrote in 1986. Although she does not work at the bookstore, she does give lectures and writing workshops for students and teachers. That same year she was awarded an Honorary doctorate of Humane letters from Hofstra University. In 1998, Ms. Giff's portayal of an American girl during World War II, Lily's Crossing (1997), was named a Newbery Honor Book and a Horn Book Honor Book.
Sources:
The collection contains typescripts, galleys, and dust jackets for 8 titles. The materials are arranged alphabetically by title. Within each title the materials are arranged in the probable order in which they were created.
Four of the books in the collection center around Casey Valentine and her friends Leroy, Tracy and Walter: Fourth-Grade Celebrity, The Girl Who Knew It All, Left-Handed Shortstop, and The Winter Worm Business. In Fourth-Grade Celebrity, readers are introduced to Cassandra Valentine, who is determined to become a celebrity in her school. All of the books were published by Delacorte and illustrated by Leslie Morrill. There are typescripts for all of the books. There are also dust jackets for Fourth-Grade Celebrity and The Winter Worm Business.
Two mystery books are also in the collection. The first, Have You Seen Hyacinth Macaw? introduces Abby Jones and her neighbor Potsie who try to solve local mysteries. The second title, Suspect (1982) involves a boy named Paul who, after realizing his wallet has been stolen, helps solve a murder. There are a typescripts and galleys for both of these titles.
There are galleys for the last two books in the collection. In The Gift of the Pirate Queen (1982), Grace tries to be brave like the pirate queen Grace O' Malley after the death of her mother and the discovery of her sister's illness. Marilyn describes how different her life will be when she gets to the second grade in Next year I'll Be Special (1980).
Box/Folder
A. Books
Fourth-Grade Celebrity by Patricia Reilly Giff, illustrated by Leslie Morrill (New York: Delacorte Press, 1979). 1/1-1/2 Typescript, edited with typesetter's marks, 1/1 Chapters 1-12, pp. 1-62. 1/2 Chapters 13-24, pp. 63-112. 1/3 Dust jacket, 1 item. The Gift of the Pirate Queen by Patricia Reilly Giff, illustrated by Jenny Rutherford (New York: Delacorte Press, 1982). 1/4 Galley, minor corrections, 55 pp. The Girl Who Knew It All by Patricia Reilly Giff, illustrated by Leslie Morrill (New York: Delacorte Press, 1979). 1/5-1/6 Typescript, edited with typesetter's marks, 1/5 Chapters 1-7, pp. 1-52. 1/6 Chapters 8-15, pp. 53-110. Have You Seen Hyacinth Macaw? by Patricia Reilly Giff, illustrated by Anthony Kramer (New York: Delacorte Press, 1981). 1/7-2/1 Typescript, edited with typesetter's marks, 1/7 pp. 1-59. 2/1 pp. 59A-123. 2/2 Galley, "author's set," 46 pp. Left-Handed Shortstop by Patricia Reilly Giff, illustrated by Leslie Morrill (New York: Delacorte Press, 1980). 2/3 Partial typescript, edited, pp. 1-91, 96-101, 105-106, 108, 118, 120, and 123-125. Next Year I'll Be Special by Patricia Reilly Giff, pictures by Marylin Hafner (New York: Delacorte Press, 1980). 2/4 Galley, minor corrections, 20 August 1979, 4 pp. Suspect by Patricia Reilly Giff, with drawings by Stephen Marchesi (New York: Delacorte Press, 1982). 2/5 Typescript, edited with typesetter's marks, chapters 1-10, pp. 1- 50. 2/6 Galley, minor corrections, chapters 1-10, 34 pp. The Winter Worm Business by Patricia Reilly Giff, illustrated by Leslie Morrill (New York: Delacorte Press, 1981). 2/7-2/8 Typescript, edited with typesetter's marks, 2/7 Chapters 1-7, pp. 1-57. 2/8 Chapters 8-15, pp. 58-125. 2/9 Dust jacket, 1 item.
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