Monjo, F.N.

F. N. (Ferdinand Nicolas) Monjo was born August 28, 1924 in Stamford, Connecticut. He graduated from Columbia University in 1946 and worked as an editor and later assistant director and vice president and editorial director in Books for Boys and Girls at several major publishing companies. In 1968 he published his first book for children, Indian Summer, the story of a frontier woman's struggle to save her family. During the 1970s Monjo published many other works of historical fiction, most written from a child's point of view, in an effort to humanize our forefathers. Critics praised his writing style for making the child's voice authentically his own, and also lauded his attention to detail and historical fact. Critics also praised his writing style for giving children a fresh and appealing look at any number of otherwise overworked periods of history, and called him one of the best in the writing of easy-reading history books. Monjo received several honors for his books. He died on October 9, 1978. Biographical Sources: Something About the Author, vol. 16 Twentieth Century Children's Writers, 3rd ed. pp. 689-690

From the guide to the F. N. Monjo Papers, 1970-1980, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])

American author of children's books, well known for his historical fiction.

From the description of Papers, 1970-1980. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62680912

From the description of Slater's mill : production material, ca. 1970-1972. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62680918

From the description of Willie Jasper's golden eagle : being an eyewitness account of the great steamboat race between the Natchez and the Robert E. Lee : production material, ca. 1976. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62406350

From the description of Pirates in Panama : production material, ca. 1970. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62444240

From the description of Gettysburg : Tad Lincoln's story : production material, ca. 1975-1976. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62444237

From the description of Grand Papa and Ellen Aroon : being an account of some of the happy times spent together by Thomas Jefferson and his favorite granddaughter : production material, ca. 1974. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62444238

From the description of Zenas and the shaving mill : production material, ca. 1974-1976. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62451782

From the description of Rudi and the Distelfink : production material, ca. 1972-1973. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62451781

From the description of Prisoners of the scrambling dragon : production material, ca. 1978-1980. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62444242

From the description of The porcelain pagoda : production material, ca. 1973-1976. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62680917

From the description of The Jezebel wolf : production material, ca. 1971. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62680914

From the description of King George's head was made of lead : production material, ca. 1974-1977. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62680915

From the description of The house on Stink Alley : a story about the Pilgrims in Holland : production material, ca. 1976-1977. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62680913

From the description of Letters to Horseface : being the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's journey to Italy, 1769-1770, when he was a boy of fourteen : production material, ca. 1971-1975. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62680916

From the description of A namesake for Nathan : being an account of Captain Nathan Hale by his twelve-year-old sister, Joanna : production material, ca. 1976-1977. (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 62406349