Jerry Spinelli 1941-

Biography He was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania In high school wrote poem about his school’s football team’s victory, published in newspaper Went to Gettysburg College and John Hopkins University After college wrote four adult novels, rejected Fifth novel meant to be adult novel, ended up a kid novel Books based on his kids, newspapers, and everyday life In 1991 won Newbery Award for Maniac Magee In 1998 Wringer became a Newbery Honor book Currently lives with wife and kids in Phoenixville, PA

Writer’s Craft Jerry Spinelli bases his stories on his childhood and his kids. Jerry Spinelli talks about his childhood, “Isn’t it a magical, wonderful thing that our childhoods are not completely lost to us, like juice squeezed forever from an orange, and that without moving so much as an eyelash we can call back Buddy Brathwaite’s bare, rat-proof feet, or Ginny Sukoloski’s dungaree nipping duck, or Joey Lapella’s green teeth?”Jerry’s books are not always based on his childhood, sometimes his characters and their emotions and actions are based on his kids.

Writer’s Craft Out of six kids he has a large variety of what the characters in his story should be like. Jerry Spinelli says, “ You should always base your novel on an event that really happened in the past.” He also says, “ Life is full of happy accidents.” Jerry was originally going to be an adult author but now he ended up a children author and now he is extremely happy that he is writing books for kids. That was Jerry’s happy accident!

Writer’s Craft To see an interview click on this link The End By Ally Zimbalist