Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Susan Campbell Bartoletti was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and grew up surrounded by lots of pets — ducks, guinea pigs, parakeets, hamsters, even a goat. As a girl, Bartoletti enjoyed horseback riding, piano lessons and exploring nature, but she liked reading and drawing the best.

Bartoletti majored in English in college and enjoyed all kinds of writing assignments, including research reports, creative writing assignments, poetry and journalism. After graduation, she became an eighth-grade English teacher and advisor to the student literary magazine. For nearly ten years she taught and wrote books, and she credits her students with inspiring her to pursue writing full time.

Bartoletti writes picture books, as well as great non-fiction for older students. She is the author of Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine 1845-1850 (Sibert Award) Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow (Newbery Honor) and Growing Up in Coal Country.

Books by This Author

Hitler Youth : Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow

By: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Age Level: Middle Grade
How were otherwise kind, intelligent teenagers drawn into an organization like the Hitler Youth? This well-researched and well-documented book examines the rise of the Nazi party and its sway over teens. Using primary sources, including interviews, the author features the stories of several teens who came of age during Hitler's years of power.