The fifth Children's Literature Institute focused upon United States historical fiction. This volume discusses the lives, works, and ideas of the nine authors who made presentations at the institute. They are: Milton Meltzer, author of books about such minority groups as Native Americans, Blacks, and Jews; Brinton Turkle, whose books include a series about a Quaker boy of old Nantucket; Ann McGovern, whose books deal with a variety of historical topics, including Christopher Columbus, the Pilgrims, colonial times, and Abraham Lincoln; James and Christopher Collier, who have collaborated in writing a novel about the Revolutionary War and a novel about the conflict between the dominant white culture and ethnic minorities; Miriam Bourne, author of fictionalized diaries of the daughters and granddaughters of Washington, John Adams, and Jefferson; Patricia Gauch, who has written novels about the Revolutionary and Civil wars; Jean Fritz, author of fiction and of nonfiction stories for young children; and Arnold Adoff, poet and anthologist of writings by black authors. (GW)