Her birthday was on Jan. 4th.

(I can't believe I couldn't find any tributes...)

She lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Also known for the "Alice" series.

I read "Send No Blessings" (1990) years ago - it's sweet and sensitive. Plus, how many YA novels do you know of about modern families living in trailers that aren't (completely) grim?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiloh_%28novel%29
(on "Shiloh" - about an abused dog)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_series
(on "Alice" - about a motherless girl growing up in an all-male household)

http://www.ipl.org/div/askauthor/Naylor.html
(interview & photo)
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/n/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/
(book covers)

http://images.google.com/search?hl=en&q=phyllis+naylor&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1691&bih=895&sei=pAbnUL6jJOTC0QHBiIGoCQ&tbm=isch
(photos & book covers)

http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/catalog/author.pperl?authorid=21893
(book synopses - mostly about the battle of the sexes)

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/
(a LOT of Kirkus reviews)

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13608.Phyllis_Reynolds_Naylor
(reader reviews)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0623297/
(filmography - includes "Big Blue Marble")

http://www.carolhurst.com/authors/pnaylor.html
(bio and some book descriptions)

Excerpts:
"Each book can and does stand independently - even those in series - and she is seldom content with just telling us a story. Many of the books are laugh-out-loud funny. She builds tension well, sometimes with cliff-hangers and foreshadowing. Most of her characters face moral dilemmas and her resolutions are not pat or overly predictable. She's a fine storyteller and her memory for what it's like to be young is readily apparent in her work. Having raised two sons may have helped her to present believable male as well as female protagonists.

"The topics too, vary widely: religion, mental illness, teenage rebellion, coping with divorce and death, facing one's fears and adult imperfections, as well as determining right and wrong, are just some of the dilemmas characters face in her books. There is usually an ethical crisis and her main characters evolve believably. Her books are often uplifting but never oversimplified and we don't get the feeling that she sneaked in a sermon."

https://www.google.com/search?q=phyllis+reynolds+naylor&rlz=1CAJMBU_enUS1039&biw=911&bih=433&tbm=vid&ei=6sK5Y7LWKbCr5NoPtoG5kAY&ved=0ahUKEwiy88Xzk7b8AhWwFVkFHbZADmIQ4dUDCA0&uact=5&oq=phyllis+reynolds+naylor&gs_lcp=Cg1nd3Mtd2l6LXZpZGVvEAMyBwgAEIAEEA0yBAgAEB4yBAgAEB4yBAgAEB4yBAgAEB4yBAgAEB4yBggAEAUQHjoGCAAQBxAeOggIABAHEB4QCjoGCAAQHhANOggIABAFEB4QDToFCAAQhgNQ2ARYxBNg4xVoAHAAeACAAboBiAGeC5IBBDAuMTCYAQCgAQHAAQE&sclient=gws-wiz-video
(some short videos)

> http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0623297/
> (filmography - includes "Big Blue Marble")

It's sad that for such a highly-rated series, there are only four user reviews, currently.

But...TWO of those reviews refer to "Witch's Sister"!

See here:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258339/reviews/?ref_=tt_ov_rt

And you can see two different intros for "Big Blue Marble" here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlIx0pdjp-Q
(2:16 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1kkx2m-JSg
(song - this is a little shorter and has 500-plus comments)

You can also see a few whole episodes at YouTube.

And you can see all of "Witch's Sister" here!

https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEB&search_query=%22witch%27s+sister%22

You decide which clips are in better condition to watch - I have to go.