The Glory Girl [Paperback]

Betsy Byars (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Anna Glory, the one non-singing member of a gospel-singing family, feels left out, like her misfit Uncle Newt, until the day the family bus is involved in a terrible accident.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Puffin; First Printing Published by Viking Penguin Inc. edition (May 7, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140317856
• ISBN-13: 978-0140317855
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,024,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( B ) > Byars, Betsy

More About the Author

Betsy Byars began her writing career rather late in life First, she married and started a family. The writing career didn't emerge until she was 28, a mother of two children, and living in a small place she called the barracks apartment, in Urbana, Illinois. She and her husband, Ed, had moved there in 1956 so he could attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. She was bored, had no friends, and so turned to writing to fill her time. Byars started writing articles for The Saturday Evening Post, Look,and other magazines. As her family grew and her children started to read, she began to write books for young people and, fortunately for her readers, discovered that there was more to being a writer than sitting in front of a typewriter. "Once a wanderer came by my house and showed me how to brush my teeth with a cherry twig; that went in The House of WingsThe Summer of the Swans." Since that time, Byars has written more than 45 books for young readers and has won numerous awards, including The American Book Award, which she received in 1981 for The Night Swimmers. The humor, compassion, and insight Byars brings to each of her books won her a large audience of admirers both in the United States and abroad. Six of her novels were presented on national television, and her books are translated into nine languages. Six of Byars' novels have been named ALA Notable Books, and in 1971, The Summer of the Swans -- a story about a 14-year-old girl and her mentally retarded brother -- won the Newbery Award as the most distinguished contribution to literature for children in the year of its publication. Byars was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 7, 1928. Unlike many of the characters in her books, Byars grew up in a normal, loving family. Her father was an engineer and worked as a bookkeeper in a cotton mill. He was stern and hardworking and had a strong sense of humor. Her mother was a lively woman who loved acting and music. Byars's sister, Nancy, two years older, was sometimes an inspiration and sometimes an evil nemesis. Byars has always been adventurous and never allows a few setbacks to prevent her from doing things she wants to experience, like petting a blacksnake and flying planes. The snake was named Moon and became the subject of her 1991 autobiography, The Moon and I. Betsy Byars and her husband live on an air strip in South Carolina, and have traveled widely throughout the United States in pursuit of their interest in gliding and antique airplanes. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Outcast, April 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Glory Girl (Paperback)

I recently discovered this book and read it in two days, pacing myself. It's about a young girl named Anna Glory who was the only non-singing member of a family of gospel singers. I can relate to this because my family sings gospel too but I don't because I get stage fright and don't feel as talented as the rest. She was also underappreciated; nobody really noticed her presence, which is how I ofen feel. But an unexpected person from the past, Uncle Newt, showed up for Anna. She had a kinship with him because he was a convict that the family despised. Together, these two outcasts saved the rest of the family from death. This was a..well..interesting portrayal of a family. The twin boys, who one would expect to be really close, always played tricks on each other. Mrs. Glory favored the oldest child, a girl nicknamed "Angel". Mr. Glory lost the "joy of religion" the instant he exited a stage. Not a very Christianlike family. As Newt said, Anna was the best of them. I reccomend "Glory Girl" to anyone who feels as if they don't belong or count in the world.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is action packed and good for a rainy day., November 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Glory Girl (Paperback)

This book is about a girl whose family is in a band except for her because she doesn't have talent. She has to sit in the back and sell tapes.She is a middle child and never gets any attention. I like this book because it has a suprise in every chapter. It's also good because it relates to life. It has a good ending.