Children of the Fire by Harriette Gillem Robinet

The granddaughter of enslaved people, Harriette Gillem Robinet, with her husband, McLouis Robinet, has a history of civic involvement and activism in the Oak Park area. Chicago is the setting for some of these novels, including Children of the Fire, in which two children witness the Great Chicago Fire, and Missing from Haymarket Square, which tells the story of 12-year-old Dinah and her friends who try to find Dinah’s father, a union organizer taken prisoner just prior to the Haymarket riot of 1886. The majority of Robinet’s books are historical fiction centered around significant moments in American history and featuring children of color and children with physical disabilities. Walking to the Bus Rider Blues was recognized as a Jane Addams Award Honor book in 2001. She is the recipient of a Carl Sandburg Award and a Scott O’Dell Award, and was a finalist for an Edgar Award, a William Allen White Award, a Texas Bluebonnet Award, and a Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award. Robinet is the 14th recipient of the award, which recognizes a Chicago writer who has made an outstanding lifetime contribution to literature.Ī resident of Oak Park since 1965, Harriette Gillem Robinet is the author of 12 young adult historical novels. The Fuller Award is the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s highest honor. The ceremony will take place on Tuesday, March 14 in the Performing Arts Center, beginning at 6 p.m. Dominican University will host the presentation of the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame’s Fuller Award to acclaimed author Harriette Gillem Robinet.

Children of the Fire by Harriette Gillem Robinet