Jerry Spinelli
Jerry Spinelli (born February 1, 1941 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a noted children's author, specializing on novels written for and about early adolescence. Among his books are Space Station Seventh Grade, Maniac Magee (winner of the 1991 Newbery Medal), Wringer (1998 Newbery Honor book), and Stargirl.
Spinelli first decided he wanted to become a writer at the age of 16, when his high school football team won a big game. He wrote a poem about this, and the poem was published in the local newspaper.
When he began his professional writing career, Spinelli attempted to write books for adults, rather than children. These books were not very popular, however. Spinelli's writing direction changed one night when his child stole some fried chicken that he had been saving for the next day. Spinelli wrote about this event. Eventually, what he wrote turned into his first published novel, Space Station Seventh Grade.
Mr. Spinelli is a 1963 graduate of Gettysburg College. He earned an MA from Johns Hopkins University in 1964, and in 1977 he married his wife Eileen. From 1966 to 1972 he served in the United States Navy Reserve.
Complete list of Spinelli's Young Adult Novels
- Space Station Seventh Grade, 1982.
- Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush?, 1984.
- Night of the Whale, 1985.
- Jason and Marceline, 1986.
- Dump Days, 1988.
- Maniac Magee, 1990.
- The Bathwater Gang (illustrated by Meredith Johnson), 1990.
- There's a Girl in My Hammerlock, 1991.
- Fourth Grade Rats (illustrated by Paul Casale), 1991.
- The Bathwater Gang Gets Down to Business, 1992.
- Crash, 1996.
- Wringer, 1997.
- Danny Schroder is a Loser, 2002.
- Stargirl, 2003.
- Milkweed, 2003?