Matthew de la Peña is an American writer of
children's books
A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...
who specializes in novels for young adults. He won the
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 ...
in 2016 for his book ''
Last Stop on Market Street''.
Biography
A
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, native, Matt de la Peña received his BA from
University of the Pacific, which he attended on a
basketball scholarship. He then received his MFA in creative writing from
San Diego State University
San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...
.
De la Peña wrote ''Mexican WhiteBoy'' in 2008, drawing on his own teenage passion for sports and Mexican heritage. The novel was banned from classrooms in
Tucson
Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
,
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
, starting in 2012, when lawmakers passed laws to remove materials containing "
critical race theory
Critical race theory (CRT) is an academic field focused on the relationships between Social constructionism, social conceptions of Race and ethnicity in the United States census, race and ethnicity, Law in the United States, social and political ...
," until 2017, when the court ruled the law violated the constitutional rights of Mexican American students.
In 2016, de la Peña was honored with the
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) National Intellectual Freedom Award. In 2015, he wrote ''
Last Stop on Market Street'' which won the 2016
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 ...
. In 2021, he published ''Milo Imagines the World'', which was named to the 2022 Bank Street Children's Best Books of the Year List with an "Outstanding Merit" distinction and shared the committee's
Josette Frank Award with
Angeline Boulley's
Firekeeper's Daughter.
, he resides in Southern California. He teaches creative writing at San Diego State University.
Books
Further reading
* Interview in ''
You Can't Say That! Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell''. Candlewick, 2021, a young adult non-fiction book about book censorship, edited by young adult author and literary critic
Leonard S. Marcus. ISBN 9780763690366
References
External links
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*
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2005 ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults2006 ALA-YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers2009 ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults2010 ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults2010 ALA-YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers2011 ALA-YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pena, Matt de la
Living people
21st-century American novelists
American young adult novelists
American male novelists
Pacific Tigers men's basketball players
San Diego State University alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
Place of birth missing (living people)
Newbery Medal winners
21st-century American male writers
American men's basketball players