D. Jame's Smith works have appeared in Blackbird, The Malahat Review, Notre Dame Review, Poetry International, Stand and many other journals. A Booklist Top Ten First Novel Pick, a nominee for the Pen/Faulkner and a finalist for The Northern California Book Award, he is the recipient of the Edgar Allen Poe Award as well as a fellowship in poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts. He holds MA degrees in Counseling and English and lives in California's central valley where he studied with Philip Levine.
Critics have described much of Smith’s prose as, alternately “…vividly poignant,” “ruefully funny,” and, at times, even “hilarious.”
Atheneum
winner of an Edgar Award
Atheneum
finalist for the Northern Ca. Book Award
Atheneum
DK Publishing Inc.
Permanent Press, NYC
Prose
THE BOYS OF SAN JOAQUIN
“D. James Smith "joins…the select company of latter-day young adult writers who can be mentioned in the same sentence as Mark Twain.” –The Washington Post
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“A winningly original ‘tween mystery!" –Family Fun Magazine/Disney
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“A read-aloud, laugh out loud hit!” School Library Journal
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Set in the small town of Orange Grove, CA, this upbeat, funny and ultimately wise tale involves 12-year-old Paulo, his younger brother, and their deaf cousin, Billy, who together set off to solve a mystery that begins when their dog shows up with a half-chewed 20-dollar bill–a very fun winner of a book!
PROBABLY THE WORLD'S BEST STORY ABOUT A DOG AND THE GIRL WHO LOVED ME
“Indeed, one of the best stories about a boy and his dog and so much more.” --School Library Association
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“This riotous sequel to The Boys of San Joaquin follows the boys…with richness and humor.” –School Library Journal
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The boys are back in this fun, first-person, present tense narration brimming with sly humor and lovely turns of phrases. Billy, the lead supporting character is deaf and readers will definitely enjoy learning the thematic word, phrase or idea in American Sign Language that heads each chapter. Both boys and girls will feel Theresa’s crush on Paulo, the narrator, as well as his struggle to understand her bewildering effect on him. In telling this heartwarming tale, we find a wonderfully woven story about the many layers of language, loss, love and coming of age.
IT WAS SEPTEMBER WHEN WE RAN AWAY THE FIRST TIME
“Even those who have not read The Boys Of San Joaquin and Probably the World’s Best Story About a Dog and the Girl Who Loved Me will enjoy this touching follow-up mystery, this playful, heartbreaking story…” –Booklist
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Third in a trilogy, this one works well as a stand-alone title (as each in the series does.) The heart of the story is Billy’s attachment to Veronica, an Asian American girl. “Most around here have still not warmed up to Chinese persons” begins Paulo as they go forward in a tale with rock-throwing, a burned-down tree house and graffiti on a garage, leading to a breakup and, later, running away.
The story takes on the ignorance of prejudices by gently laughing them out of their supposed “truths.” These kids are young enough to encounter and form their own accepting opinions throughout this tale of running away, young love, and joyful friendships. As with the others in this series, teachers, librarians and parents will also enjoy the light-hearted, clever telling here.
FAST COMPANY
“Smith is an award-winning poet and captures these teens’ wild actions as well as their emotional turmoil.” –Booklist
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Jason is a Rollerblader -- of a champion caliber, as he makes clear to his girl, Cat, during a contest on the Santa Cruz boardwalk. Jason is also only 15 and living not with his distracted parents, but with Cat and her mother. He, on his skates, has accidentally killed a boy while escaping the scene of a petty robbery. The others of his gang, the Ravens, have scattered to safety. Cat doesn't know, can't guess why Jason is fleeing his life; he won't talk about it nor will he echo what she feels for him and most longs to hear: "I love you." Cat has a secret, too, and when she finally reveals it, Jason runs for real. These are young people seeking redemption for their mistakes, and the mistakes of others in their pasts. Their memorable stories, interwoven like the figure-eights they all trace on the town's asphalt surfaces, point poignantly to their futures.
MY BROTHER'S PASSION
For adult readers comes, “A dreamlike portrait done with a masterfully light hand. Smith moves us without crossing over into melodrama or the sentimental” –Kirkus
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This short, dark novel is sustained by its brilliant, lyric push that reveals the unconscious rush that childhood is, that nagging dream that still persists because it means something…to the heart. At twelve, this boy floats quietly through his world, voyeur to the complexities that both bind and tear his seemingly placid community. An unflinching witness to a harsher beauty than most admit, it earns the hope found, surprisingly, in its swift, inevitable conclusion.