Jerry Spinelli Author StudyAmy L. Samay

SCED 518

Fall 2013

• Born Feb. 1, 1941 in Norristown, PA• Married to Eileen Spinelli, who is also a writer• They have 6 kids and 16 grandchildren• On Halloween, he give the trick-or-treaters books

instead of candy. He gives books written by other authors.

• Five of his books were written completely during his lunch breaks at work

• The fifth novel he wrote, Space Station Seventh Grade, was his first book published (1982), but it was originally written for adults

• He felt like he "accidentally" became a children's author

and other Cool Facts•Biographical Information

• "I think, in part, writing is a way to complete my experience. It's as if something--an episode, thought, emotion--hasn't fully happened until I put it into words. It's somehow not enough just to receive experience, to catch it like a baseball in a glove, so to speak, as I used to when I played catch with my father in the backyard. I need to throw it back."

•Quote

• Short chapters with cliffhanger endings• Catchy openings that grab the reader’s attention

• Figurative language, description, and strong imagery

• Accurately paints a funny picture of adolescent life

• Books address important topics, themes, and moral issues

•Spinelli’s Style

Young Adult Literature of Jerry Spinelli

Books and Awards

In this story about the perils of

popularity, the courage of

nonconformity, and the thrill

of first love, an eccentric

student named Stargirl

changes Mica High School

forever.

-New York Times Bestseller

-ALA Best Books for Young Adults

-Publishers Weekly Best Book of the

Year

-Parents Choice Gold Award Winner

-Black-Eyed Susan Nominee

-Many State Awards

-2007 Book Sense Children's Pick List

-New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age

-IRA Young Adult Choices

-USA Today and Publishers Weekly Bestsellers

-Nominated by Entertainment Weekly as one of

the Best YA Novels of All Time

LOVE, STARGIRL picks up a year after Stargirl ends

and reveals the new life of

the beloved character

who moved away so

suddenly at the end of

Stargirl. The novel takes

the form of "the world's

longest letter," in diary

form, going from date to date through a little more

than a year's time.

-Golden Kite Award for Fiction

-ALA Best Book for Young Adults

-Association of Jewish Libraries: Notable Children's Book

-Parent's Guide Children's Media Award

-National Jewish Book Award Finalist

Follows a young Jewish orphan in

the Warsaw ghetto during WWII as

he slowly understands the horrible

reality that surrounds him and

attempts to steal in order to help

others survive.

Jason Herkimer, the main character

of Space Station Seventh Grade, is now in ninth grade. His relationship

with his friend Marceline McAllister has

developed into a real romance. The

only trouble is that Jason isn't quite

sure what to do with a girlfriend. His

friends insist that the main function of a

girlfriend is to make out, but Marceline

says there's more to life than that.

-Newbery Award

-Boston Globe/Horn Book Award

-NEA’s Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children

-School Library Journal’s Top 100 Chapter Books

-Many other local and regional awards

Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee might have

lived a normal life if a freak accident

hadn't made him an orphan. After living

with his unhappy and uptight aunt and

uncle for eight years, he decides to run--

and not just run away, but run. This is

where the myth of Maniac Magee begins,

as he changes the lives of a racially

divided small town with his amazing and

legendary feats.

“I'm in the back row (with a cap), a finalist in

a foul-shooting contest in the park (age 12,

1953). On my right is Dennis Magee, whose

last name I gave to a character called Maniac.”

-Jerry Spinelli

-Winner 1999 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

This book is a personal narrative of

Jerry's life that includes many funny

stories and embarrassing moments that

kids and adults can relate to. It shows

how Spinelli went from being a kid who

only read cereal boxes and comic

books to being a famous writer.

Trivia Game Link

•www.jerryspinelli.com•www.scholastic.com•www.titlewave.com•www.amazon.com/Jerry-Spinelli•http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/author/spinelli-jerry/

•Sources