Ronald L. Smith

Ronald L. Smith is an American children's book author. He is the author of Hoodoo (2015), The Mesmerist (2017), and Black Panther: The Young Prince (2018). For Hoodoo, Smith won the American Library Association's Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent.

Ronald L. Smith at the Gaithersburg Book Festival 2016

Early life

Smith was born in Maine to a military family that moved frequently; he also lived in Japan, Alabama, Michigan, Washington, DC, South Carolina, and Delaware, among other places.[1] His love of fantasy and science fiction novels began as a child, but he first worked as a writer in advertising before turning to writing children's fiction.[2]

Fiction career

Smith published his first book, Hoodoo, with Clarion Books in 2015.[3] Set in the 1930s Alabama,[4][5] Hoodoo earned Smith the American Library Association's Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent.[6][7]

Smith's second book, The Mesmerist (Clarion Books, 2017), is set in London at the turn of the century.[8][9][10]

In January 2018, Smith published a children's novel for Marvel Comics featuring Marvel's superhero Black Panther.[11] The book, Black Panther: The Young Prince, was released just prior to Marvel's Black Panther film.[12] Reviewing the book in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Literature, Kate Quealy-Gainer wrote, "Fans will notice allusions to T'Challa's future adventures as the ruling Black Panther, but even the comic-book averse will relate to T'Challa's negotiating of middle-school dynamics and may also appreciate his cleverness as he faces down his enemies."[13] The School Library Journal named the book to a list of eight fantasy "must-reads" featuring a black protagonist; their January 2018 review called it a "must-purchase for all collections."[14]

Personal life

Smith lives in Baltimore.[15]

References
  1. "About". Strange Black Flowers — Ronald L. Smith. 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  2. Danielson, Julie (October 1, 2015). "Ronald L. Smith's Magic Touch". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  3. "HOODOO by Ronald L. Smith". Kirkus Reviews. May 6, 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  4. Quealy-Gainer, Kate (15 September 2015). "Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 69 (2): 114–114. doi:10.1353/bcc.2015.0714. ISSN 1558-6766. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  5. "Children's Book Review: Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith. large, $16.99 burger (224p) ISBN 978-0-544-44525-3". Publishers Weekly. October 5, 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  6. "Rita Williams-Garcia, Bryan Collier win 2016 Coretta Scott King Book Awards". News and Press Center. American Library Association. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  7. Hetter, Katia (January 11, 2016). "Best children's books: 2016 Newbery, Caldecott winners". CNN. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  8. Quealy-Gainer, Kate (29 December 2016). "The Mesmerist by Ronald L. Smith (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 70 (5): 237–237. doi:10.1353/bcc.2017.0065. ISSN 1558-6766. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  9. "THE MESMERIST by Ronald L. Smith". Kirkus Reviews. October 18, 2016. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  10. "Children's Book Review: The Mesmerist by Ronald L. Smith. Clarion, $16.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-544-44528-4". Publishers Weekly. January 16, 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  11. "THE YOUNG PRINCE From the "Black Panther" series, volume 1 by Ronald L. Smith". Kirkus Reviews. October 28, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  12. Deahl, Rachel (March 10, 2017). "Book Deals: Week of March 13, 2017". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  13. Quealy-Gainer, Kate (2018). "Black Panther: The Young Prince by Ronald L. Smith (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 71 (5): 221–222. doi:10.1353/bcc.2018.0065. ISSN 1558-6766.
  14. Farrell, Della (January 24, 2018). "8 Fantasy Must-Reads Featuring Black Main Characters". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  15. Quattlebaum, Mary (October 27, 2015). "'Hoodoo' is a haunting tale from the Alabama woods". Washington Post. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
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