2. Oakland's Ricky Henderson falls victim to Nolan Ryan's 5000th strikeout in August 1989 at Arlington Stadium.

3. favored immune peak glare trotted console memento

4. Author Jerry Spinelli
His first writing was a poem about a football game that was published in the local paper
He used to be an editor for a clothing magazine
Writes about kids who are different and unique
Many books are based on his childhood or where he grew up
Has published over 25 books
Born February 1, 1941 in Norristown, PA
He has a white rat, a chinchilla, 6 kids, and 16 grandchildren
Enjoyed playing baseball and wanted to play for the NY Yankees

5. Norristown, PA

6. Norristown is about five hours away from
Ford City
Norristown
Norristown is about five hours away from
Ford City and near Philadelphia.
Which direction is that from us?

7. Vocabulary Spelling
favored immune peak glare trotted console memento remark wearing resource words scarce startling hoarse average absurd worst fourteen charms beware fortune southern modern worry rumor memory embark

8. What does the character look like? How do others react to him?
Knots In My Yo Yo String
Name of Character
What does the character look like?
How do others react to him?
How does he act?

10. Knots In My Yo Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid—From first memories through high school, including first kiss, first punch, first trip to the principal's office, and first humiliating sports experience, this is not merely an account of a highly unusual childhood.
Your recent novel STARGIRL is about a girl who is unusually different from all her peers in high school, or from anyone most of us have ever known. How did STARGIRL come about? Back in 1966 I began jotting down notes about an unusual person. STARGIRL is the final incarnation of many since that time.
Why did you choose to write for middle graders? What do you like about writing for this audience? I didn't choose to write for them. My first published book was about a 13-year-old kid, so adult departments wouldn't take it. So I became a "children's writer" by accident. In my own mind, I write for everyone.
In your books, the theme of being different seems to be common. In WRINGER, Palmer didn't want to be a wringer like most boys in his town. In CRASH, John Coogan picks on a neighbor who he deems different. And Maniac Magee in the book of the same title is certainly a unique individual. Why do you like to write on this theme? A simple answer to that is that "different" characters are more interesting than ordinary ones. They attract our attention and keep it and in the long run have much more to tell us.
You've mentioned before that you were not an avid reader as a child. What do you think would have encouraged you to read more as a child? And what books do you read now? If I hadn't been good at sports maybe I would have spent more time in the library. I read quite a variety of books now. At the moment I'm reading a murder mystery and a history of railroad dining cars.
You wrote the book THE LIBRARY CARD, which tells the stories of four different kids and how a little blue library card affected their lives. Where did this idea come from? Where you ever affected by a library like any of those characters you wrote about? The idea came from my editor at Scholastic. Of the four stories, I feel particularly attached to "Sonseray," though his kidhood does not resemble my own at all.
What inspires you? What doesn't? At one time or another I've found myself moved by everything from the grandest pageants to the most ordinary gestures.
You started out writing for adults and received rejection letters. You persevered, and now you are a highly successful and well-respected children's writer. How did you find the drive to keep writing and submitting after receiving rejections? I discovered that even after a day of rejection slips, the sun comes up next morning. And the stories were still in me. How could I not write?
Your autobiography, KNOTS IN MY YO-YO STRING, was a fascinating read. What experiences from your childhood come into play the most in your stories/writing? I've found my grade school and junior high years especially fertile fields to harvest.
What is your typical work day like? Routinely, I work two hours each morning. I may or may not write for another hour or so at night.
When did you know you wanted to be a writer? About midway through high school, when my poem about a football game was published in the local paper.
What do you do when you're not working? With six kids and 16 grandkids, there's plenty!
What advice do you have for aspiring children's writers? Write what you care about.
What's the best thing about being a writer? Having readers.