From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.childrens

Her birthday was on Nov. 23rd.
I can't believe I can't find any tributes...

She lives in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. (Or, possibly, northern Michigan.) Also a poet. Her first novel was published in 1978. Her works include the "Starvation Lake" books and "Goodbye, Vietnam."
She has three entries in the "Something About the Author" encyclopedia series and a 21-page entry in vol. 90 of the "Children's Literature Review" series.
http://www.gloriawhelan.com/

From a Harper Collins interview I can't find anymore:
Q: When did you realize you wanted to be a writer? How did you make the leap into becoming a full-time writer?
A: I began writing short stories and poetry for adults and some of my work was published in literary quarterlies, but it wasn't until we moved from the city to the woods of northern Michigan that I had the time to write novels. Shortly after we moved north, with the idea of finding peace and quiet and enjoying the wilderness, someone knocked on our door to inform us they would be drilling for oil on our property. We didn't have the mineral rights so we had nothing to say. That experience led to my first novel for young readers, which is about a boy who works on an oil rig.

https://www.encyclopedia.com/children/scholarly-magazines/whelan-gloria-1923
(long biographical article, awards and more) https://www.google.com/search?q=interview+gloria+whelan&sca_esv=588395872&rlz=1CAJMBU_enUS1087&ei=O5lwZdKaEfGaptQPp-CusAg&ved=0ahUKEwiSpIPxlfuCAxVxjYkEHSewC4YQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=interview+gloria+whelan&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiF2ludGVydmlldyBnbG9yaWEgd2hlbGFuMggQABiABBiiBDIIEAAYgAQYogRIgA1QnwZY2glwAXgAkAEAmAGYA6ABoQuqAQUzLTMuMbgBA8gBAPgBAcICDhAAGIAEGIoFGIYDGLAD4gMEGAEgQYgGAZAGAw&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
(a few interviews)
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/gloria-whelan/
(31 Kirkus reviews)
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14233.Gloria_Whelan
(reader reviews)
http://www.librarything.com/author/whelangloria
(more reviews)

https://www.google.com/search?q=gloria+whelan+books&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiMs47tlPuCAxXGD1kFHYknCXgQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=gloria+whelan+books&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIHCAAQgAQQGDoKCAAQgAQQigUQQzoGCAAQBxAeOgQIABAeOgYIABAFEB46BggAEAgQHlDtAljhCmD4C2gAcAB4AIAB1AGIAY0IkgEFMC42LjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=JphwZYyIJ8af5NoPic-kwAc&hl=en
(book covers) https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=588395872&rlz=1CAJMBU_enUS1087&q=gloria+whelan&tbm=vid&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjHu9LGl_uCAxWihIkEHVc1DJ8Q0pQJegQIDBAB&biw=1366&bih=644&dpr=1
(videos)
WRITINGS:
* A Clearing in the Forest, Putnam (New York, NY), 1978.
* A Time to Keep Silent, Putnam (New York, NY), 1979.
* Next Spring an Oriole, illustrated by Pamela Johnson, Random House (New York, NY), 1987.
* Playing with Shadows (short-story collection; for adults), University of Illinois Press (Champaign, IL), 1988.
* Silver, illustrated by Stephen Marchesi, Random House (New York, NY), 1988.
* A Week of Raccoons, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, Knopf (New York, NY), 1988.
* The Secret Keeper, Knopf (New York, NY), 1990.
* Hannah, illustrated by Leslie Bowman, Knopf (New York, NY), 1991.
* Bringing the Farmhouse Home, illustrated by Jada Rowland, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1992.
* Goodbye, Vietnam, Knopf (New York, NY), 1992.
* Night of the Full Moon (sequel to Next Spring an Oriole), illustrated by Leslie Bowman, Knopf (New York, NY), 1993.
* That Wild Berries Should Grow: The Diary of a Summer, Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI), 1994.
* Once on This Island, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.
* The Indian School, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1996.
* The President's Mother (adult novel), Servant Publications (Ann Arbor, MI), 1996.
* The Miracle of Saint Nicholas (picture book), Ignatius (San Francisco, CA), 1997.
* Forgive the River, Forgive the Sky, Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI), 1998.
* Farewell to the Island (sequel to Once on This Island), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1998.
* Miranda's Last Stand, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1999.
* Homeless Bird, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.
* Welcome to Starvation Lake (chapter book), illustrated by Lynne Cravath, Golden (New York, NY), 2000.
* Return to the Island (sequel to Once on This Island and Farewell to the Island), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.
* Angel on the Square, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.
* Rich and Famous in Starvation Lake, illustrated by Lynne Cravath, Golden (New York, NY), 2001.
* The Wanigan: A Life on the River, Knopf (New York, NY), 2002.
* Are There Bears in Starvation Lake?, illustrated by Lynne Cravath, Golden (New York, NY), 2002.
* Fruitlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.
* Jam and Jelly by Holly and Nelly, Sleeping Bear Press (Chelsea, MI), 2002.
* A Haunted House in Starvation Lake, illustrated by Lynne Cravath, Random House (New York, NY), 2003.
* The Impossible Journey (sequel to Angel on the Square), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.
* Burying the Sun (sequel to Angel on the Square and The Impossible Journey), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.
* Chu Ju's House, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.
* Friend on Freedom River, illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen, Sleeping Bear Press (Chelsea, MI), 2004.
* Listening for Lions, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.
* The Turning, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.
* Summer of the War, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2006.
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