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Glogging with Jerry Spinelli: My Online Interactive Poster About Him

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Portrait of an Author: Jerry Spinelli

Biography of an Author: Jerry Spinelli

 

Jerry Spinelli was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1941. Before becoming an author, Jerry dreamed of being a cowboy and then of becoming a major league baseball player. His favorite book as a kid was Barbar the Elephant. He had his mom read it to him many times. After his dad published his poem about football in a local newspaper, Jerry decided he liked writing enough to do it full time when he was in the eleventh grade.

Getting his English degree from Gettysburg College, Jerry became a magazine editor. Every day at lunch, he would shut his office door and write for an hour. Jerry’s first four books for adults were not published. His first published work was about a young teen.  Instead of being disappointed, Jerry loves being a writer about kids for all ages.

Jerry’s wife, Eileen, is also an author. They write in separate rooms, but show each other their work when they are finished. Jerry calls Eileen “his first editor.” She helps him when he has problems with a story. They have six children together and twenty-one grandchildren! They now live in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Some of the inspiration for Jerry’s stories comes from his childhood, as well as his children’s childhoods.

Jerry has written a variety of fiction books about kids and teenagers. Milkweed, one of my favorites, takes place during the Holocaust and took him over a year to write. I personally love this book, even though it makes me cry, because it is very touching to read about this horrible time in history through a child’s eyes. Somehow, Jerry keeps that sense of innocence throughout the book. Other books, like There’s a Girl in My Hammerlock, are about sports like wrestling. This is another favorite of mine, since I enjoy the humorous situations and the personal strength in the main character. Jerry’s first pet, Bernadette, a rat, makes an appearance in this story about a tom girl who tries out for her school’s wrestling team.

Jerry won a Newberry Award for Maniac Magee, which is still taught in some schools. He has written over thirty books and plans to continue with his love of writing. When asked to give advice to young writers, Jerry says, “Write what you care about.” His other hobbies include playing with his grandchildren, playing tennis, picking berries, reading, riding trains, and listening to country music.

 

Adlit.org. Meet the Author: Jerry Spinelli. Online video clip. Youtube, 24 Jan. 2011. Web. 15

May 2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv8uUevERTE>

Jerry Spinelli.  Random House. 15 May 2014. <http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/catalog/

author.pperl?authorid=29311&view=sml_sptlght>

Jerry Spinelli Interview Transcript. Scholastic. 15 May 2014. <http://www.scholastic.com/              teachers/article/jerry-spinelli-interview-transcript?pImages=n&x=89&y=15>

Spinelli, Jerry. FAQ’s. Jerry Spinelli’s Website, 2012. 15 May 2014. <http://www.jerryspinelli.

com/newbery_004.htm>