Jerry Spinelli (born February 1, 1941) is an American writer of children's novels that feature

adolescence 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 t ...

and early adulthood. His novels include ''

Maniac Magee ''Maniac Magee'' is a novel written by American author Jerry Spinelli and published in 1990. Exploring themes of racism and inequality, it follows the story of an orphan boy looking for a home in the fictional town of Two Mills. Two Mills is ha ...

'', '' Stargirl'', and ''

Wringer A mangle or wringer is a mechanical laundry aid consisting of two rollers in a sturdy frame, connected by cogs and (in its home version) powered by a hand crank or by electricity. While the appliance was originally used to wring water from wet ...

''.

Life

Spinelli was born in

Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a municipality with home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the 7 ...

, and currently lives in

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Phoenixville is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia at the junction of French Creek (Schuylkill River tributary), French Creek and ...

. At the age of 16, his love of sports inspired him to compose a poem about a recent

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

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 Gettysburg College is a private liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about 2,600 students, with roughly equal numbers of men and women. ...

, 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 ''Space Station Seventh Grade'' is a young adult novel by Jerry Spinelli, published in 1982; it was his debut novel. It was inspired by an odd event when one of his six children ate some fried chicken that he had been saving for the next day. Th ...

'', was published in 1982. Spinelli graduated from

in 1963 and acquired his MA from

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

in 1964. In 1977, he married Eileen Mesi, another children's writer. Since about 1980, as

Eileen Spinelli Eileen Spinelli (née Mesi; born August 16, 1942) is an American author of children's books and poetry. Biography She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She wanted to be a writer from a young age. She grew up in Secane, Pennsylvania attend ...

, she has collaborated with illustrators to create dozens of picture books. They have six children and 21 grandchildren.

Works

In culture

George Plimpton George Ames Plimpton (March 18, 1927 – September 25, 2003) was an American writer. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found ''The Paris Review'', as well as his patrician demeanor and accent. He was also known for " ...

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 Elaine's was a bar and restaurant in New York City that existed from 1963 to 2011. It was frequented by many celebrities, especially actors and authors. It was established, owned by and named after Elaine Kaufman, who was indelibly associated wit ...

, and two months after which Spinelli wrote Plimpton to announce the publication of Spinelli's first book (a children's book) by Houghton Mifflin.

References

External links

* * * (every one names an illustrator)
The Papers of Jerry Spinelli
are held in Gettysburg College's Special Collections & Archives. The collection includes manuscripts 1961–2003 as well as other materials. {{DEFAULTSORT:Spinelli, Jerry 1941 births American children's writers American young adult novelists Newbery Medal winners Newbery Honor winners Gettysburg College alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni American writers of Italian descent People from Norristown, Pennsylvania Novelists from Pennsylvania Living people American male novelists

Life

Works

In culture

See also

References

External links