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Patricia Reilly Giff biography

Author Biography  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Patricia Reilly Giff
Photo © Tim Keating

Patricia Reilly Giff

How to pronounce Patricia Reilly Giff: ry-lee (first syllable rhymes with bye). Giff has a hard g

Patricia Reilly Giff Biography

As a reading teacher for 20 years, the educational consultant for Dell Yearling and Young Yearling books, an adviser and instructor to aspiring writers, and the author of more than 60 books for children, Patricia Reilly Giff spent her entire life surrounded by books.

After earning a B.A. degree from Marymount College, Giff took the advice of the school's dean and decided to become a teacher. During the 20 years of her teaching career, she earned an M.A. from St. John's University, and a Professional Diploma in Reading and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hofstra University.

Patricia Reilly Giff and her husband lived in Weston, Connecticut. They have three children and five grandchildren. In 1990, Giff opened The Dinosaur's Paw, a children's bookstore named after one of her Kids of the Polk Street School novels.

Throughout the year, Giff visited schools and libraries around the country and spoke to her readers about her books, and about writing. When discussing her work, Giff claimed, "I have no special talent, you know. I never took a writing course before I began to write." She believes that "anyone who has problems, or worries, anyone who laughs and cries, anyone who feels can write. It's only talking on paper .... talking about the things that matter to us."

Patricia Reilly Giff received the Newbery Honor for Pictures of Hollis Woods and Lily's Crossing, which is also a Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Book. Nory Ryan's Song was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and an ALA Notable Book. Willow Run, a sequel to Lily's Crossing was published in 2005.

She died in 2021 aged 86.



This bio was last updated on 06/24/2021. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.

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Books by this Author

Books by Patricia Reilly Giff at BookBrowse
Gingersnap jacket Eleven jacket Water Street jacket Willow Run jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Patricia Reilly Giff but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Patricia Reilly Giff

    Patricia Reilly Giff

    As a reading teacher for 20 years, the educational consultant for Dell Yearling and Young Yearling books, an adviser and instructor to aspiring writers, and the author of more than 60 books for children, Patricia Reilly... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The House of Tailors

    Try:
    Willow Run
    by Patricia Reilly Giff

  • Suzanne Hayes

    Suzanne Hayes

    Suzanne Hayes (AKA Suzanne Palmieri) is an author, a teacher, and the mother of three little witches.

    Her debut novel (as Suzanne Palmieri) was The Witches of Little Italy. Her co-authored novel,I'll Be seeing You (... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Willow Run

    Try:
    I'll Be Seeing You
    by Suzanne Hayes

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