Jerry Spinelli

Jerry Spinelli
Spinelli in 2008
Born (1941-02-01) February 1, 1941 (age 85)
Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
OccupationWriter
Writing career
GenresChildren's and young-adult novels
Notable works
Notable awardsNewbery Medal
1991
Websitejerryspinelliauthor.com
Signature

Jerry Spinelli (born February 1, 1941) is an American writer of children's novels that feature adolescence and early adulthood. His novels include Maniac Magee, Stargirl, and Wringer.

Biography

Spinelli was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and currently lives in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. At the age of 16, his love of sports inspired him to compose a poem about a recent football victory, which his father published in the local newspaper without his knowledge. It was at this time he realized that he would not become a major league baseball player, so he decided to become a writer.

At Gettysburg College, Spinelli spent his time writing short stories and was the editor of the college literary magazine, The Mercury. After graduation, he became a writer and editor for a department store magazine. The next two decades, he spent his time working "normal jobs" during the day so that he had the energy to write fiction in his free time. He found himself writing during lunch breaks, on weekends, and after dinner.

His first few novels were written for adults and were all rejected. His fifth novel was also intended for adults but became his first children's book. This work, Space Station Seventh Grade, was published in 1982.

Spinelli graduated from Gettysburg College in 1963 and acquired his MA from Johns Hopkins University in 1964. In 1977, he married Eileen Mesi, another children's writer. Since about 1980, as Eileen Spinelli, she has collaborated with illustrators to create dozens of picture books. They have six children and 21 grandchildren.

Works

Title Year Ref.
Space Station Seventh Grade1982
Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush?1984
Night of the Whale 1985
Jason and Marceline1986
Dump Days1988
Maniac Magee1990 – Newbery Award
The Bathwater Gang1990
Hallie Jefferys Life1991
Fourth Grade Rats1991
Report to the Principal’s Office1991
There's a Girl in My Hammerlock1991
Do the Funky Pickle1992
Who Ran My Underwear Up the Flagpole?1992
The Bathwater Gang Gets Down to Business 1992
Picklemania1993
Tooter Pepperday1995
Crash1996
The Library Card1997
Wringer1997 – Newbery honor book
Blue Ribbon Blues: A Tooter Tale1998
Knots in My Yo-Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid1998
Stargirl2000
Loser2002
Milkweed: A Novel2003
My Daddy and Me2003
Love, Stargirl2007
Eggs 2007
Smiles to Go2008
I Can Be Anything 2010
Jake and Lily2012
Third Grade Angels 2012
Hokey Pokey 2013
Mama Seeton's Whistle 2015
The Warden's Daughter 2017
My Fourth of July 2019
Dead Wednesday 2021

In culture

George Plimpton related an anecdote about Spinelli having bought at auction an evening with the Plimptons, in New York City, during which George Plimpton introduced Spinelli to writers and editors dining at Elaine's, and two months after which Spinelli wrote Plimpton to announce the publication of Spinelli's first book (a children's book) by Houghton Mifflin.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Biography, Pictures, Videos, & Quotes". JerrySpinelli.net. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "He's a man of Many Words". The Washington Post. June 8, 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  3. ↑ "My Gen Club author Q&A: Jerry Spinelli". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 12, 2006. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2009.
  4. ↑ "The Mercury". The Cupola: Scholarship at Gettysburg College. Gettysburg College. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "A video interview with Jerry Spinelli". WETA Washington, D.C. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Jerry Spinelli Bio Page". jerryspinelli.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Contemporary Authors Online. Gale. 2013. ISBN 978-0-7876-3995-2.
  8. ↑ "Jason and Marceline by Jerry Spinelli". Publishers Weekly. September 1, 1986. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Newberry and Caldecott honor authors, illustrators". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, CA. AP. January 16, 1991. Retrieved November 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  10. ↑ "1998 Newbery Medal and Honor Books". Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). American Library Association (ALA). Retrieved November 2, 2009.
  11. ↑ Peck, Richard (June 1, 2012). "Twin Powers". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  12. ↑ Plimpton, George (March 29, 1999). "Dinner at Elaine's" (Podcast). The Moth. Retrieved June 6, 2016.