Jon Scieszka ( :) (born September 8, 1954) is an American children's writer, best known for

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

s created with the

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

Lane Smith Walter Lane Smith III (April 29, 1936 – June 13, 2005) was an American actor. His well-known roles included newspaper editor Perry White in the ABC series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', Walter Warner in '' Son in Law'', co ...

. He is also a nationally recognized reading advocate, and the founder of

Guys Read Guys Read is a web-based literacy program for boys founded by author Jon Scieszka in 2001. Its mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers" by bringing attention to the issue, promoting the expansion of what is called "readin ...

– a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers." Scieszka was the first U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, appointed by the Librarian of Congress for calendar years 2008 and 2009. His ''

Time Warp Trio ''Time Warp Trio'' is an animated television series based on the children's book series of the same name. Created by Jon Scieszka, the series was produced by WGBH Boston in association with Soup2Nuts. The series aired from July 9, 2005 to Jul ...

'' series, which teaches kids history, has been adapted into a television show.

Personal life

Scieszka ( pl, Ścieszka, ) was born in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

in 1954, the second oldest among six sons of Shirley Scieszka, and Louis Scieszka, a former

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

principal. He attended

Culver Military Academy Culver Academies is a college preparatory boarding school located in Culver, Indiana, which is composed of three entities: Culver Military Academy (CMA) for boys, Culver Girls Academy (CGA), and the Culver Summer Schools and Camps (CSSC). Culver ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

for high school,

Albion College Albion College is a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students in 2014. They participate in NCAA Division III and the Michigan Interco ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

where he studied English and pre-med. for his

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

, and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

for a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

in fiction writing. Scieszka currently lives in

Park Slope, Brooklyn A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

with his wife, an interior designer. His children live in the neighborhood as well. After graduating, Scieszka worked in a variety of capacities: teaching at an elementary school (mostly second grade), writing for magazines, and painting apartments.

Professional life

While pursuing his MFA at Columbia in New York, Scieszka painted apartments. He went on to teach 1st-8th grade at the Day School (currently the Trevor Day School) for ten years. After that, he started writing and touring full-time, which he still does today. According to Scieszka, he writes books because he "loves to make kids laugh." Most of his best-known works were written in conjunction with illustrator Lane Smith. Among their collaborations are ''

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' is a postmodern children's book written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. Published in 1992 by Viking, it is a collection of twisted, humorous parodies of famous children's stori ...

'', ''

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' is a children's book by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. Released in a number of editions since its first release by Viking Kestrel, an imprint of Viking Penguin in 1989, it is a parody of The Three Little Pigs ...

'' and '' Math Curse''. He is also the author of the ''

'' series, for which Smith illustrated eight of the sixteen books. The series has been made into a television show. The design of many Scieszka and Smith collaborations, including ''Stinky Cheese Man'', is attributed to Molly Leach, Smith's wife. Scieszka is also the founder of

, a web-based literacy program for boys whose mission is "to help boys become self-motivated, lifelong readers." He founded the nonprofit in response to his experiences as an elementary school teacher and the United States

National Assessment of Educational Progress The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what U.S. students know and can do in various subjects. NAEP is a congressionally mandated project administered by the ...

statistics showing boys consistently scoring worse than girls on federal reading tests every year, at every grade level. In 2008 Scieszka was named the nation's first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Librarian of Congress. During his two years as Ambassador, it was his job to raise "national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education and the development and betterment of the lives of young people."National Ambassador for Young People's Literature"

bout Bout can mean: People *Viktor Bout, suspected arms dealer *Jan Everts Bout, early settler to New Netherland *Marcel Bout Musical instruments * The outward-facing round parts of the body shape of violins, guitars, and other stringed instrumen ...

Read.gov. Library of Congress. Retrieved 2015-10-30. For Scieszka, this meant traveling to schools, libraries, and book-related conferences to speak about engaging kids in reading through choice, an expanded definition of reading, positive role models, and embracing new technologies. He has joked that being an ambassador gets him out of parking tickets.

Books

Scieszka has written and edited many books for various publishers.

Picture books

* ''

'', illustrated by

- Harper & Row - 1989 * '' The Frog Prince, Continued'', illustrated by Steven Johnson - Viking Press - 1991 * ''

'' - Viking Press - 1992 * ''The Book That Jack Wrote'', illustrated by Dan Adel - Viking Press - 1994 (out of print) * '' Math Curse'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press - 1995 * '' Squids Will Be Squids'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press - 1998 * '' Baloney, (Henry P.)'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press - 2001 * '' Science Verse'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press - 2004 * '' Seen Art?'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press- 2005 * ''Cowboy and Octopus'', illustrated by Lane Smith - Viking Press - 2007 * ''Walt Disney’s Alice In Wonderland'', illustrated by

Mary Blair Mary Blair (born Mary Browne Robinson; October 21, 1911 – July 26, 1978) was an American artist, animator, and designer. She was prominent in producing art and animation for The Walt Disney Company, drawing concept art for such films as '' ...

- Disney Press - 2008 * ''Robot Zot'', illustrated by

David Shannon David Shannon (born October 5, 1959) is an American writer and illustrator of children's books. Shannon grew up in Spokane, Washington. He graduated from the Art Center College of Design and now lives in Los Angeles. In 1998 he won the Caldecott ...

- Simon & Schuster - 2009

Series

The Time Warp Trio

:''Also see

The Time Warp Trio ''The Time Warp Trio'' is a children's book series written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith and Adam McCauley, which describes the adventures of three boys – Joe, Sam, and Fred – who travel through time and space with the aid of ...

'' The ''Time Warp Trio'' books are illustrated middle grade novels about three boys, Sam, Joe, and Fred, who travel through time and space with a magical book. The early books were illustrated by Lane Smith, and later ones by Adam McCauley. They are published by

Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim and then acquire ...

. * ''Knights of the Kitchen Table'', illustrated by Lane Smith- 1991 * ''The Not-so-Jolly Roger'', illustrated by Lane Smith - 1991 * ''The Good, The Bad, And The Goofy'', illustrated by Lane Smith - 1992 * ''Your Mother Was A Neanderthal'', illustrated by Lane Smith - 1993 * ''2095'', illustrated by Lane Smith - 1995 * ''Tut Tut'', illustrated by Lane Smith - 1996 * ''Summer Reading Is Killing Me'', illustrated by Lane Smith - 1998 * ''It's All Greek to Me'', illustrated by Lane Smith - 1999 * ''See You Later, Gladiator'', illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2000 * ''Sam Samurai'', illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2001 * ''Hey Kid, Want to Buy A Bridge?'', illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2001 * ''Viking It and Liking It'', illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2002 * ''Me Oh Maya'', illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2003 * ''Da Wild, Da Crazy, Da Vinci'', illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2004 * ''Oh Say, I Can't See'', illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2005 * ''Marco? Polo!'', illustrated by Adam McCauley - 2005 Jon Scieszka - Time Warp Trio Lyrics

Trucktown

Scieszka was inspired to create the Trucktown series because he "really wanted to write something for all of those crazy little guys who didn’t think there was something out there for them to read." The Trucktown characters and backgrounds were created by the team of

Loren Long Loren Long (born 1964) is an American author of children's books best known for illustration. He won the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' (SCBWI) Golden Kite Award for picture book illustration in 2004 for ''I Dream of Trains'' ...

, and David Gordon. The over fifty-book Trucktown program includes picture books, "Ready-to-Roll" early reader books, board books, and a variety of activity books. They are published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. Picture Books: * ''Smash! Crash!'' - 2008 * ''Melvin Might?'' - 2008 * ''Truckery Rhymes'' - 2009 Ready-to-Roll: * ''Snow Trucking!'' - 2008 * ''Pete's Party'' - 2008 * ''Uh-Oh Max'' - 2008 * ''Zoom! Boom! Bully'' - 2009 * ''Melvin's Valentine'' - 2009 * ''The Spooky Tire'' - 2009 * ''Kat's Mystery Gift'' - 2009 * ''Trucksgiving'' - 2010 * ''Dizzy Izzy'' - 2010 * ''Trucks Line Up'' - 2011

Spaceheadz

Spaceheadz is a multi-platform story, told through four books, multiple websites, integrated blogs, social media sites, videos, ads, and user-created content. The story reveals how three aliens from the planet Spaceheadz disguise themselves as 5th graders in Brooklyn in order to sign up 3.14 million and 1 Earthlings to be Spaceheadz and save Earth. The extensive online storytelling is managed by Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg. The books are illustrated by

DreamWorks DreamWorks may refer to: * DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin ** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio ** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and f ...

animator Shane Prigmore, and published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. * ''Spaceheadz Book #1!'', illustrated by Shane Prigamore with Francesco Sedita - 2010 * ''Spaceheadz Book #2!'', illustrated by Shane Prigamore with Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg - 2010 * ''Spaceheadz Book #3!'', illustrated by Shane Prigamore with Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg - 2011 * ''Spaceheadz Book #4!'', illustrated by Shane Prigamore with Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg - 2013

Frank Einstein

The ''Frank Einstein'' books are illustrated middle grade (3-7) novels about a kid-genius scientist and inventor named Frank Einstein. * ''Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams/Amulet, 2014 * ''Frank Einstein and the Electro-Finger'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams, 2015 * ''Frank Einstein and the BrainTurbo'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams, 2015 * ''Frank Einstein and the EvoBlaster Belt'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams, (forthcoming September 2016) * ''Frank Einstein and the Bio-Action Gizmo'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams, 2017 * ''Frank Einstein and the Space-Time Zipper'', illustrated by Brian Biggs - Abrams, 2018

Memoir/novel

* ''Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up,'' Scieszka - Viking Press - 2008

Contributor

* ''

Guys Write for Guys Read ''Guys Write for Guys Read'' is a compilation of essays for the Guys Read organization. Edited by children's book author Jon Scieszka, it contains contributions from Lloyd Alexander, Christopher Paolini, Ned Vizzini, James Howe, Mo Willems, Ja ...

'', "Brothers" - Viking - 2005 * Puffin Classics edition of ''

Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'') is a novel by Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwreck ...

'', "Introduction" - Puffin Classics - 2009 * ''Half-Minute Horrors'', "Whispers" - HarperCollins - 2009 * ''

: Funny Business'', "Your Question for Author Here," with

Kate DiCamillo Katrina Elizabeth DiCamillo (born March 25, 1964) is an American children's fiction author. She has published over 25 novels, including ''Because of Winn-Dixie'', '' The Tiger Rising'', ''The Tale of Despereaux'', ''The Miraculous Journey ...

- Walden Pond Press - 2010 * ''The Chronicles of Harris Burdick: Fourteen Amazing Authors Tell the Tales'', "Under The Rug," illustrated by

Chris Van Allsburg Chris Van Allsburg (born June 18, 1949) is an American illustrator and writer of children's books. He has won two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration, for ''Jumanji'' (1981) and ''The Polar Express'' (1985), both of which he a ...

- Houghton Mifflin - 2011

Editor

* ''Guys Write for Guys Read'' - Viking Press - 2005 * ''Guys Read: Funny Business'', contributors:

Mac Barnett Mac Barnett is an American writer of children's books living in Oakland, California. Barnett graduated from Pomona College, where he studied under the writer David Foster Wallace.Patrick Carman Patrick Carman (born February 27, 1966, in Salem, Oregon) is an American writer and a graduate of Willamette University. Carman's first book, '' The Dark Hills Divide'', was published in 2005 The book, and the subsequent books in the same serie ...

Christopher Paul Curtis Christopher Paul Curtis (born May 10, 1953)Judy Levin, Allison Stark Draper, ''Christopher Paul Curtis'' (The Rosen Publishing Group, 2005), , p. 84. Excerptsat Google Books. Retrieved 2015-07-25. is an American children's book author. His f ...

Paul Feig Paul Samuel Feig (; born September 17, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for directing films starring frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy, including ''Bridesmaids'' (2011), '' The Heat'' (2013), ''Spy'' (2015) ...

Jack Gantos Jack Gantos (born July 2, 1951) is an American author of children's books. He is best known for the fictional characters Rotten Ralph and Joey Pigza. Rotten Ralph is a cat who stars in twenty picture books written by Gantos and illustrated by ...

Jeff Kinney Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website '' Poptropica''. Early life Jeff Kinney was bor ...

David Lubar David Lubar (born March 16, 1954) is an author of numerous books for teens. He is also a video game programmer, who programmed ''Breakout (arcade game), Super Breakout'' for the Game Boy and ''Frogger'' for both the Super Nintendo Entertainment ...

Adam Rex Adam Michael Rex (born May 16, 1973) is an American illustrator and author of children's books from Tucson, Arizona. Career Adam Rex received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona. He has contributed illustrations to ''Magic: ...

- Walden Pond Press - 2010 * ''Guys Read: Thriller'', contributors: M.T. Anderson,

Gennifer Choldenko Gennifer Choldenko (born October 20, 1957) is an American writer of popular books for children and adolescents. Awards '' Al Capone Does My Shirts'' was a finalist for both the British Carnegie Medal and the American Newbery Medal The John ...

Matt de la Peña Matthew de la Peña is an American writer of children's books who specializes in novels for young adults. He won the Newbery Medal in 2016 for his book ''Last Stop on Market Street''. Biography A San Diego, California, native, Matt de la Peña re ...

Margaret Peterson Haddix Margaret Peterson Haddix (born April 9, 1964) is an American writer known best for the two children's series, ''Shadow Children'' (1998–2006) and ''The Missing'' (2008–2015). She also wrote the tenth volume in the multiple-author series '' ...

, Bruce Hale,

Jarrett J. Krosoczka Jarrett J. Krosoczka ( ) (born December 22, 1977, in Worcester, Massachusetts) is the author and illustrator of a number of picture books, most famously his ''Lunch Lady'' series. Life Krosoczka was raised entirely by his maternal grandparents, ...

Anthony Horowitz Anthony John Horowitz, (born 5 April 1955) is an English novelist and screenwriter specialising in mystery and suspense. His works for children and young adult readers include ''The Diamond Brothers'' series, the ''Alex Rider'' series, and ''T ...

Walter Dean Myers Walter Dean Myers (born Walter Milton Myers; August 12, 1937 – July 1, 2014) was an American writer of children's books best known for young adult literature. He was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, but was raised in Harlem. A tough childho ...

- Walden Pond Press - 2011 * ''Guys Read: Sports Pages'', contributors: Dustin Brown, James Brown,

Joseph Bruchac Joseph Bruchac (born October 16, 1942) is an American writer and storyteller based in New York. He writes about Indigenous peoples of the Americas, with a particular focus on northeastern Native American and Anglo-American lives and folklore. He ...

Chris Crutcher Chris Crutcher (born July 17, 1946) is an American novelist and a family therapist. He received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 2000 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens. Biography Crutcher w ...

, Tim Green,

Dan Gutman Dan Gutman (born October 19, 1955) is an American writer, primarily of children's fiction. His works include the '' Baseball Card Adventures'' children's book series that began with '' Honus & Me'', and the '' My Weird School'' series. Early li ...

Gordon Korman Gordon Korman (born October 23, 1963) is a Canadian American author. Korman has written 100 children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appe ...

, Chris Rylander,

Anne Ursu Anne Ursu is an American novelist and children's writer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Biography She attended Brown University. Ursu's first novel, ''Spilling Clarence'', is about a drug that wafts through the air of a small Minnesota town. Th ...

Jacqueline Woodson Jacqueline Woodson (born February 12, 1963) is an American writer of books for children and adolescents. She is best known for '' Miracle's Boys'', and her Newbery Honor-winning titles ''Brown Girl Dreaming'', ''After Tupac and D Foster'', ''Fea ...

, with illustrations by

Dan Santat Dan Santat (born 1975) is an American author and illustrator known for his children's book '' The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend'', which won the 2015 Caldecott Medal for distinguished illustration. He also wrote ''The Guild of Ge ...

- Walden Pond Press - 2012 *''Guys Read: Other Worlds'', contributors:

Rick Riordan Richard Russell Riordan Junior (; born June 5, 1964) is an American author, best known for writing the ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'' series. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million co ...

Tom Angleberger Tom Angleberger is an American children's writer, best known for the ''Origami Yoda'' series. As of March 2013, more than 3.3 million copies of his books had been sold worldwide. Angleberger lives in Virginia with his wife, Cece Bell, who is al ...

, D. J. MacHale,

Rebecca Stead Rebecca Stead (born January 16, 1968) is an American writer of fiction for children and teens. She won the American Newbery Medal in 2010, the oldest award in children's literature, for her second novel ''When You Reach Me''. She won the Guardia ...

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...

Shaun Tan Shaun Tan (born 1973) is an Australian artist, writer and film maker. He won an Academy Award for '' The Lost Thing'', a 2011 animated film adaptation of a 2000 picture book he wrote and illustrated. Other books he has written and illustrated inc ...

Neal Shusterman Neal Shusterman (born November 12, 1962) is an American writer of young-adult fiction. He won the 2015 National Book Award for Young People's Literature for his book ''Challenger Deep'' and his novel, ''Scythe'', was a 2017 '' Michael L. Prin ...

Shannon Hale Shannon may refer to: People * Shannon (given name) * Shannon (surname) * Shannon (American singer), stage name of singer Shannon Brenda Greene (born 1958) * Shannon (South Korean singer), British-South Korean singer and actress Shannon Arrum ...

Kenneth Oppel Kenneth Oppel (born August 31, 1967) is a Canadian children's writer. Biography Oppel was born in Port Alberni, and spent his childhood in Victoria, British Columbia and Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also lived in Newfoundland and Labrador, England, ...

, Eric S. Nylund, with illustrated by Greg Ruth - 2013 *''Guys Read: True Stories'', contributors:

Jim Murphy James Francis Murphy (born 23 August 1967) is a Scottish former politician who served as Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 2014 to 2015 and Secretary of State for Scotland from 2008 to 2010. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for East Re ...

Elizabeth Partridge Elizabeth Partridge (born September 1, 1951) is an American writer, the author of more than a dozen books from young-adult nonfiction to picture books to photography books. Her books include ''Marching for Freedom'' (2009, Viking), as well the bi ...

, Nathan Hale,

James Sturm James Sturm (born 1965) is an American cartoonist and co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont. Sturm is also the founder of the National Association of Comics Art Educators (NACAE), an organization committed t ...

Candace Fleming Candace Groth Fleming (born May 24, 1962) is an American writer of children's books, both fiction and non-fiction. She is the author of more than twenty books for children and young adults, including the ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize-honored ' ...

, Douglas Florian,

Sy Montgomery Sy Montgomery (born February 7, 1958) is a German born, American naturalist, author and scriptwriter who writes for children as well as adults. She is author of 34 books, including ''The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wo ...

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, T. Edward Nickens,

Thanhha Lai Thanhha Lai (Vietnamese: ''Lai T. Thanh Hà''; born January 1, 1965) is a Vietnamese-American writer of children's literature. She won the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and a Newbery Honor for her debut novel, ''Inside Out ...

- 2014 *''Guys Read: Terrifying Tales'', contributors:

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, R.L. Stine,

Dav Pilkey David "Dav" Murray Pilkey Jr. (; born March 4, 1966) is an American cartoonist, author, and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known as the author and illustrator of the children's book series, ''Captain Underpants'', and the ch ...

, Michael Buckley,

Claire Legrand Claire Legrand is an American writer of children's and young adult literature, including novels and short stories. She is best known for her ''New York Times'' bestselling ''Empirium'' trilogy, published by Sourcebooks Fire. Personal life Legra ...

, Nikki Loftin,

Adele Griffin Adele Griffin (born July 29, 1970) is an American fiction author, writing numerous novels for adults, young adults, and kids. Her novels ''Sons of Liberty'' and ''Where I Want to Be'' were both National Book Award finalists. Personal life Adele ...

, Kelly Barnhill, Lisa Brown,

Daniel José Older Daniel José Older is an American fantasy and young adult fiction writer. His work includes the ''Shadowshaper'' ''Cypher'' series as well as novels in the ''Star'' ''Wars'' series. Career Older's career as a writer began in 2014, in the back ...

Rita Williams-Garcia Rita Williams-Garcia (born 1957) is an American writer of novels for children and young adults . In 2010, her young adult novel ''Jumped'' was a National Book Award finalist for Young People's Literature. She won the 2011 Newbery Honor Award, C ...

, with illustrations by

Gris Grimly Steven Soenksen (born 1975), better known under his pen name Gris Grimly, is an American illustrator and author who mostly writes darkly whimsical children's books. Originally from Nebraska, he spent many years living and working in the Los Ange ...

- 2015 *''Guys Read: Heroes & Villains'', contributors: Christopher Healy,

Sharon Creech Sharon Creech (born July 29, 1945) is an American writer of children's novels. She was the first American winner of the Carnegie Medal for British children's books and the first person to win both the American Newbery Medal and the British C ...

, Cathy Camper,

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, Ingrid Law,

Deborah Hopkinson Deborah Hopkinson is an American writer of children's books, primarily historical fiction, nonfiction and picture books. She was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. Selected books *''Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt'' (1993) *''Maria's Comet'' (1999 ...

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, Eugene Yelchin,

Lemony Snicket Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American author Daniel Handler (born February 28, 1970). Handler has published several children's books under the name, most notably ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', which has sold over 60 million copies and s ...

- 2017

Awards and recognition

Scieszka was named the first U.S. National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

for 2008–2009. He received the annual University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for lifetime contribution to children's literature in 2013. Two children's books written by Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith were ranked among the 100 best all-time picture books in a 2012 survey published by ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

'': ''The True Story of the Three Little Pigs'', number 35, and ''The Stinky Cheese Man'', 91. Scieszka's books have received many awards and other recognitions, including: * 1989: ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'', Best Books of the Year citation, ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' * 1989:

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 ...

, Notable Children's Book citation, ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' * 1989: Maryland Black-eyed Susan Picture Book Award, ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' * 1989: Parenting Reading Magic Award, ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' * 1992: ''The New York Times Book Review'', Best Illustrated Books of the Year citation, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1992: ''

'' Best Books of the Year citation, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1992: ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

'', Children's Editors' Top-of-the-List citation, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1992: American Library Association, Notable Children's Book citation, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1994: Rhode Island Children's Book Award, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1995: Best Children's Book citation, ''Math Curse'' * 1995: ''Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'', Blue Ribbon citation, ''Math Curse'' * 1995: ''Booklist'', Top-of-the-List and Editors' Choice citations, ''Math Curse'' * 1995: ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'', Best Children's Book, ''Math Curse'' * 1996: American Library Association,

Best Books for Young Adults The American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults, previously known as Best Books for Young Adults (1966–2010), is a recommendation list of books presented yearly by the YALSA division (Young Adult Library Services Association Th ...

citation, ''Math Curse'' * 1997: Golden Archer Award, ''The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales'' * 1997: Maine's Student Book Award, ''Math Curse'' * 1997: Texas Bluebonnet Award, ''Math Curse'' * 1997: New Hampshire The Great Stone Face Book Award, ''Math Curse'' * 1999:

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...

, Kids' Top 100 Books, ''The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!'' * 2001: ''Los Angeles Times Book Review'', Best Books of the Year citation, ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2001: Reading Magic Award, ''Parenting'' magazine, ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2001: ''The New York Times Book Review'', Notable Books, ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2001: Reading Magic Awards, ''Parenting'' magazine ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2002: Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts, ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2002: Golden Duck Awards for Excellence in Children's Science Fiction Literature, ''Baloney, (Henry P.)'' * 2004: Parent's Choice Award, Gold, Non-Fiction, ''Science Verse'' * 2005: American Library Association, Notable Children's Book Award, ''Science Verse'' * 2005: Golden Duck Awards for Excellence in Children's Science Fiction Literature, ''Science Verse'' * 2009: Bank Street Best Books of the Year, ''Robot Zot'' * 2009: Irma S. Black Award, Honor Book, ''Robot Zot'' * 2009: ''The New York Times Book Review'', Bestseller, ''Robot Zot''

On writing

In his autobiography, ''Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka'', he writes that his inspiration for much of his work comes from the "strange things" that happened to him while growing up with his brothers. Scieszka creates outlines for the books of his ''Time Warp Trio'' series for structural reasons. When writing other books, however, he says, "Anything goes. Middle first, sometimes end, sometimes title, sometimes punchline.""Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast"
interview. Posted November 6, 2007.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Scieszka, Jon 1954 births Living people American children's writers American people of Polish descent Albion College alumni Culver Academies alumni Writers from Flint, Michigan Reading skill advocates Columbia University School of the Arts alumni