Alida Malkus

Alida Sims Malkus
Born
Lyda Sims Malkus

(1888-09-19)September 19, 1888
Genesee River valley, New York[citation needed]
DiedSeptember 27, 1976(1976-09-27) (aged 88)
Concord, Massachusetts, US
OccupationChildren's writer
Writing career
GenresChildren's literature, mainly historical fiction
SubjectGeography

Alida Sims Malkus (September 19, 1888 – September 27, 1976) was an American writer of children's books, primarily nonfiction and historical novels "insubstantially tinged with fantasy". She was a Newbery Honor winner.

Biography

Born September 19, 1888, Malkus was the eleventh child out of thirteen living in Bay City, Michigan, and spent most of her time swimming and riding horses for entertainment. During high school at the age of thirteen she wrote articles for the school newspaper, she also wrote plays and enjoyed putting on productions for her neighborhood friends. Two years later, her mother was not well and had to move to San Francisco. During her trip she fell deeply in love with the desert and decided to live in New Mexico, where she spent a great deal of time with the Native Americans living in the region. This is where she developed her interest in Southwest Native Americans, Mayan ruins and other pre-Columbian civilizations which inspired most of her books.

Malkus was the mother of MIT professor Willem Malkus.

The Dark Star of Itza: The Story of a Pagan Princess was one runner-up for the 1931 Newbery Medal.

Works

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Malkus, Alida Sims". Revised January 30, 2017. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (sf-encyclopedia.com). Retrieved 2017-07-06. Entry by 'JC', John Clute.
  2. ↑ "Willem Malkus, professor emeritus of mathematics, dies at 92". MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2026.