CLRC-169 Lensey Namioka Papers Christine Schonhart, June 2004 University of Minnesota Libraries 2004, 2009
University of Minnesota Libraries Minneapolis, MN 55455
EAD encoded by CLRC staff. 2004, 2009 Description is in English Summary Information University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections Namioka, Lensey Lensey Namioka Papers 1998-2004 CLRC-169 Lensey Namioka's papers focus on her work as an author of children's and young adult fiction. The collection contains production material for thirteen titles published between 1989 and 2003 with some production material dating back to 1988. Production materials consist of corrected typescripts, front matter, a note, and a photocopy of an illustration. The collection also contains one piece of correspondence to Lensey Namioka from her publisher. 2.0 linear ft. Materials are housed in the Andersen Library caverns. Please allow 30 minutes for retrieval. English Accession Information:

Lensey Namioka gave this collection to the University of Minnesota in 1995 and added additional materials in 1996,1999, and 2003

Gift of: Namioka, Lensey

Biographical Sketch

Lensey Namioka, nee Chao, was born June 14, 1929 in Peking, China. She studied at Radcliffe College from 1947-1949 and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1951 and received her master's degree in 1952. Lensey Namioka worked as a mathematics instructor and translator before turning to writing in the 1970s. In 1976, she published her first books for juveniles, The Samurai and the Long-Nosed Devils and White Serpent Castle. Both books told of the adventures of two unemployed samurai in sixteenth-century Japan. Critics praised these books and Lensey Namioka's other works of historical fiction for their attention to detail and for evoking the place and period vividly. Critics also lauded her plots for their mystery, intrigue, action and suspense. Lensey Namioka has also written stories that draw on her Chinese heritage. In April and the Dragon Lady (1994), she describes how teenager April must come to terms with her own Chinese cultural heritage and contemporary American expectations. Her Yang series of books focus on the experiences and family life of some young Chinese immigrants living in Seattle. Critics called them humorous and filled with uproarious scenes of cross-cultural awkwardness that all children can understand. Lensey Namioka has received several awards for her work including the Washington State Governor's Award in 1976 for White Serpent Castle,the Edgar Allan Poe award in 1982 for Village of the Vampire Cat, and the California Young Reader Medal in 2004 for Ties that Bind, Ties that Break.

 Scope and Content

The collection contains production material for thirteen titles published between 1989 and 2003 with some production material dating back to 1988. Production materials consist of corrected typescripts, front matter, a note, and a photocopy of an illustration. The collection also contains one piece of correspondence to Lensey Namioka from her publisher. The materials are arranged by title with folder and box level control.

 Indexing Terms

The collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Namioka, Lensey Arrangement

Materials are arranged alphabetically by published title and chronologically within each title.

Collection Contents <emph render="italic">April and Dragon Lady</emph>, published 1994 MF 2053 4 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (167 p.)

 <emph render="italic">The Coming of the Bear: A Novel</emph>, published 1992 MF 2053 4 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (187 p.); notes (1 p.); correspondence (2 p.)

 <emph render="italic">Den of the White Fox</emph>, published San Diego: Harcourt Brace &amp; Co., 1997 MF 2707 4 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (179 p.)

 <emph render="italic">Half and Hafl</emph>, published New York: Delacorte, 2003 MF 3388 3 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (134 p.); (notes (1 p.)

 <emph render="italic">Island of Ogres</emph>, published New York: Harper &amp; Row, 1989 MF 3388 4 folders

Contains: front matter (8 p.); corrected typescript (195 p.); photocopy of illustration (1 p.)

 <emph render="italic">The Laziest Boy in the World</emph>, published New York: Holiday House, 1998 MF 2707 1 folder

Contains: corrected typescript (6 p.); correspondence (1 p.)

 <emph render="italic">The Loyal Cat</emph>, published 1995 MF 2053 1 folder

Contains: corrected typescript (9 p.)

 <emph render="italic">Mismatch</emph>, published New York: Delacorte Press, 2006 MF 3388 4 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (333 p.)

 <emph render="italic">An Ocean Apart, A World Away</emph>, published New York: Delacorte Press MF 2707 3 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (153 p.); front matter (3 p.)

 <emph render="italic">Ties that Bind, Ties that Break</emph>, published New York: Delacorte Press, 1999 MF 2707 3 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (110 p.); notes (1 p.)

 <emph render="italic">Yang the Eldest and his Odd Jobs</emph>, published Boston: Little Brown, 2000 MF 2070 2 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (74 p.); notes (1 p.)

 <emph render="italic">Yang the Second and her Secret Admierers </emph>, published Boston: Little Brown, 1998 MF 2070 2 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (81 p.); front matter (2 p.)

 <emph render="italic">Yang the Third and her Impossible Family</emph>, published 1995 MF 2053 2 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (95 p.)

 <emph render="italic">Yang the Youngest and his Terrible Ear</emph>, published 1992 MF 3012 2 folders

Contains: corrected typescript (75 p.)