Ronald L. Smith Explained

Ronald L. Smith is a children's book author. He is the author of Hoodoo (2015), The Mesmerist (2017), Black Panther: The Young Prince (2018), The owls have come to take us away (2019), and Gloom Town (2020). For Hoodoo, Smith won the American Library Association's Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent.

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]

External links

Official site

Notes and References

News: About. 2015-03-09. Strange Black Flowers — Ronald L. Smith. 2018-02-07. en-US.
News: Ronald L. Smith's Magic Touch. Danielson. Julie. October 1, 2015. Kirkus Reviews. 3 September 2017. en-us.
News: HOODOO by Ronald L. Smith. May 6, 2015. Kirkus Reviews. 3 September 2017. en-us.
Quealy-Gainer. Kate. Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith (review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 15 September 2015. 69. 2. 114. 10.1353/bcc.2015.0714. 143266530. 3 September 2017. 1558-6766.
News: Children's Book Review: Hoodoo by Ronald L. Smith. large, $16.99 burger (224p) ISBN 978-0-544-44525-3. 3 September 2017. Publishers Weekly. October 5, 2015. en.
Web site: Rita Williams-Garcia, Bryan Collier win 2016 Coretta Scott King Book Awards. 11 January 2016. News and Press Center. American Library Association. en. 3 September 2017.
Web site: Best children's books: 2016 Newbery, Caldecott winners. Hetter. Katia. January 11, 2016. CNN. 2017-09-03.
Quealy-Gainer. Kate. The Mesmerist by Ronald L. Smith (review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 29 December 2016. 70. 5. 237. 10.1353/bcc.2017.0065. 201722767. 3 September 2017. 1558-6766.
News: THE MESMERIST by Ronald L. Smith. 3 September 2017. Kirkus Reviews. October 18, 2016. en-us.
News: Children's Book Review: The Mesmerist by Ronald L. Smith. Clarion, $16.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-544-44528-4. 3 September 2017. Publishers Weekly. January 16, 2017. en.
News: THE YOUNG PRINCE From the "Black Panther" series, volume 1 by Ronald L. Smith. October 28, 2017. Kirkus Reviews. February 7, 2018.
News: Book Deals: Week of March 13, 2017. Deahl. Rachel. March 10, 2017. Publishers Weekly. 2017-09-03. en.
Quealy-Gainer. Kate. 2018. Black Panther: The Young Prince by Ronald L. Smith (review). Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. en. 71. 5. 221–222. 10.1353/bcc.2018.0065. 201767471. 1558-6766.
Web site: 8 Fantasy Must-Reads Featuring Black Main Characters. Farrell. Della. January 24, 2018. School Library Journal. en-US. 2018-02-07.
News: Quattlebaum. Mary. 'Hoodoo' is a haunting tale from the Alabama woods. 3 September 2017. Washington Post. October 27, 2015.