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Southern LiterBEARy Portraits
Betsy Byars

Protrait by students of Mr. Jeff Butler's class,
Butler Avenue School

Betsy Byars is the literary figure we chose for project 1. Let us have a look to see and learn more about her!

Betsy Byars was born Betsy Cromer in 1928 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She began writing about her loneliness felt while living in a military barracks with her husband, Edward F. Byars, and her children.

She sold her first writing (a short story) to the Saturday Evening Post. Seven months later she sold a second article.

Byars learned that writing requires practice if you want to be successful. Betsy Byars started out writing mystery books, but became more interested in writing for children.

Byars has written over fifty children's books including, The 18th Emergency, The Lace Snail, Bingo Brown and the Language of Love. Out of all her books, she says that The Midnight Fox is her favorite, which we have read in class!

Betsy won the Newbery Award in 1971 for her book Summer of the Swans. She has also written six novels that were named ALA Notable Books.

We hope that you have enjoyed our biographical sketch of Betsy Byars. We hope that by learning more about her you have taken to our beautiful homeland, Clinton, North Carolina!