Ben Mikaelsen (born November 24, 1952) is a Bolivian American writer of
children's literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader.
Children's ...
.
Early life and education
Ben Mikaelsen was born on November 24, 1952, in La Paz, Bolivia, the son of
missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
parents of
Danish
Danish may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark
People
* A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark
* Culture of Denmark
* Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
descent. He wasn't sent to school until fourth
grade
Grade most commonly refers to:
* Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance
* Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage
* Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope
Grade or grading may also ref ...
where he was
bullied
Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an im ...
for his
race
Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to:
* Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species
* Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...
. Mikaelsen moved to the United States with his family shortly before entering
seventh grade
Seventh grade (or grade seven) is a year or level of education. The seventh grade is the eighth school year, the second or third year of middle school, and the first year of junior high school. Students are around 13-14 years old in this stage of ...
, where he encountered further bullying because of his poor
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
capabilities. As a
teen
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, he taught himself to swim and dive, and this led him to take
flight
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
and
skydiving
Parachuting, including also skydiving, is a method of transiting from a high point in the Atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere to the surface of Earth with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachut ...
When building his home in Montana Ben adopted an American black bear named Buffy for 26 years until the bear's death in September 2012. Ben Mikaelsen considered Buffy a "750-pound member of my family." He has been writing full-time since 1984 and lives in
Anacortes, Washington
Anacortes ( ) is a city in Skagit County, Washington, United States. The name "Anacortes" is an adaptation of the name of Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman.Petey'' (1998)
*''Touching Spirit Bear'' (2001)
*'' Red Midnight'' (2002)
*''Tree Girl'' (2004)
*''Ghost of Spirit Bear'' (2008)
*''Jungle of Bones'' (2014)
Awards and honors
Mikaelson's work has won many state youth literature awards, including the California Young Reader Medal and Wyoming's
Indian Paintbrush Book Award
American children's literary awards
Awards established in 1986
1986 establishments in Wyoming
Wyoming education-related lists
Wyoming culture
100101010101101010101010 ...
.
*1991: Golden Spur, Juvenile Fiction, ''Rescue Josh McGuire''
*1992:
International Reading Association
The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialo ...
Children's Book Award, Older Reader Category, ''Rescue Josh McGuire''
*1999:
ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults
The American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association ...
, ''Petey''
*1999: Golden Spur, Juvenile Fiction, ''Petey''
*2002: ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults, ''Touching Spirit Bear''