Jack Gantos (born July 2, 1951) is an American author of

children's books A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

. He is best known for the

fictional characters In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, Play (theatre), play, Radio series, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or b ...

Rotten Ralph and Joey Pigza.

Rotten Ralph ''Rotten Ralph'' is a series of children's picture books written by Jack Gantos and illustrated by Nicole Rubel. About twenty ''Rotten Ralph'' books have been published from 1976 to 2011. ''Rotten Ralph'' is also the first book in the series, ...

is a cat who stars in twenty picture books written by Gantos and illustrated by Nicole Rubel from 1976 to 2014. Joey Pigza is a boy with

attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inap ...

(ADHD), featured in five novels from 1998 to 2014. Gantos won the 2012

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

from 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 in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

(ALA), recognizing '' Dead End in Norvelt'' as the previous year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". ''Dead End'' also won the 2012

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an annual American children's book award that recognizes historical fiction. It was established in 1982 by Scott O'Dell, author of ''Island of the Blue Dolphins'' and 25 other children's books, in ho ...

and made the

Guardian Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author ...

longlist in Britain. His 2002 memoir '' Hole in My Life'' was a runner up Honor Book for the ALA

Printz Award Printz is a surname and may refer to: People * Armegot Printz (1625–1695), Swedish noblewoman, daughter of Johan Björnsson Printz * David Printz (born 1980), Swedish ice hockey player * Gisèle Printz (born 1933), French politician * Göran P ...

and

Sibert Medal The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal established by the Association for Library Service to Children The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is a division of the American Library Association, and it is the world's largest ...

. Previously Gantos was a finalist for the U.S.

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

and a finalist for the Newbery Medal for two Joey Pigza books.

Biography

Jack Gantos was born in

Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania Mount Pleasant is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. It stands 45 miles (72 km) southeast of Pittsburgh. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the borough's population was 4,454 ...

, near

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

to construction superintendent John and banker Elizabeth () Gantos. He was raised in

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, and followed his parents to

St. Croix Saint Croix; nl, Sint-Kruis; french: link=no, Sainte-Croix; Danish and no, Sankt Croix, Taino: ''Ay Ay'' ( ) is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincor ...

in the Virgin Islands. He got involved in the drug trade there, and ended up in New York City. After serving one and a half years of a six-year sentence he entered college and continued writing, finally publishing his first book, ''

'', in 1976. The latest Rotten Ralph book was published in 2014; there are now 20 titles in the series for young readers. Gantos has written for readers of all ages, including the memoir '' Hole in My Life'', published in 2002. During that time he began to work on picture books with Nicole Rubel, a student at the

Boston Museum School The School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University (Museum School, SMFA at Tufts, or SMFA; formerly the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) is the art school of Tufts University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusett ...

. ''Rotten Ralph'' was the first to be published, by

Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

in 1976. Within ten years Gantos and Rubel completed some twenty picture books including two more in the Rotten Ralph series. Meanwhile, Gantos began teaching about writing children's books. He was professor of creative writing and literature (1978–95) at Emerson College in Boston, and a visiting professor at Brown University (1986), University of New Mexico (1993), and

Vermont College of Fine Arts Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...

(2004). He developed master's degree programs in children's book writing at both Emerson College and Vermont College.

Awards and honors

*Best Books for Young Readers citation,

(ALA), 1976–93, for the "Rotten Ralph" series. *Children's Book Showcase Award, 1977, for ''Rotten Ralph'' *Emerson Alumni Award, Emerson College, 1979, for Outstanding Achievement in Creative Writing *Massachusetts Council for the Arts Awards finalist, 1983, 1988 *Gold Key Honors Society Award, 1985, for Creative Excellence *

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

grant, 1987 *Quarterly West Novella Award, 1989, for ''X-Rays'' *Children's Choice citation,

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 ...

, 1990, for ''Rotten Ralph's Show and Tell'' *Batavia Educational Foundation grant, 1991 *West Springfield Arts Council (WESPAC) grant, 1991 *Parents' Choice citation, 1994, for ''Not So Rotten Ralph'' *

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

Books for the Teenage, 1997, for ''Jack's Black Book'' *Silver Award, 1999, for ''Jack on the Tracks'' *finalist, 1998

National Book Award for Young People's Literature The National Book Award for Young People's Literature is one of five annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation (NBF) to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers".< ...

, for ''Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key''"National Book Awards – 1998"

National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established, "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: 'The Joy Luc ...

. Retrieved 2012-01-26. *Great Stone Face Award, Children's Librarians of New Hampshire, ALANNA Notable Children's Book, NCSS and CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Riverbank Review Children's Book of Distinction, and New York Public Library "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing," all 1999, for ''Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key'' *Iowa Teen Award, Iowa Educational Media Association, Flicker Tale Children's Book Award nomination, North Dakota Library Association, and Sasquatch Award nomination, all 2000, for ''Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key'' *Newbery Honor, ALANNA, 2001, for ''Joey Pigza Loses Control'' * California Young Reader Medal, 2002, for ''Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key'' *Printz Honor, 2003, for '' Hole in My Life'' *Sibert Honor, 2003, for ''Hole in My Life'' *National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Creative Writing, m fiction * Newbery Medal, 2012, for ''Dead End In Norvelt'' *

, 2012, for ''Dead End in Norvelt'' *

Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults (at least age eight) and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author ...

longlist, 2012, for ''Dead End in Norvelt'' * Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature, 2014, career award"Jack Gantos to Receive 2014 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature"
''

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...

'', December 15, 2013.

Selected works

Picture books

Gantos is the author of dozens of published picture books including about twenty illustrated by Nicole Rubel. ''Rotten Ralph'' was the first published book for both creators and the first of about ten in the Rotten Ralph series as of 2012.(Nicole Rubel search report)
Library of Congress Online Catalog. Retrieved 2012-10-27. Select "Rubel, Nicole" and Sort by "Date (oldest to youngest)". ;Rotten Ralph series by Gantos and Rubel * ''Rotten Ralph'' (Houghton Mifflin, 1976, )introducing the "very, very, nasty cat""Formats and Editions of Rotten Ralph"
WorldCat. Retrieved 2012-10-27. * ''Three Strikes for Rotten Ralph'' (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011, )the latest of about ten * ''Rotten Ralph's Rotten Family'' (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014, )

Novels

Nonfiction

*, a memoir *''Writing Radar: Using Your Journal to Snoop Out and Craft Great Stories'' (2017)

Notes

References

* ''Contemporary Authors Online'', Gale, 2006. Reproduced in ''Biography Resource Center''. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006. * Gantos, Jack. ''Hole in My Life.'' New York:

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

(Books for Young Readers). 2002.

External links

* *
''Hole in my Life'' at publisher Macmillan

Jack Gantos to Publish New Joey Pigza Book
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gantos, Jack 1951 births Living people American children's writers Newbery Medal winners Newbery Honor winners Emerson College alumni Writers from Pittsburgh People from Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Novelists from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers