“Write
about what you care about. If you do that, you're probably going to do your
best writing, reach off the page and touch the reader. How are you going to
make the reader care if you don't care yourself?”
– Jerry Spinelli
Born in Pennsylvania on this date in
1941, Spinelli is author of nearly 40 novels for young people, including 2017’s
The Warden’s Daughter. He is best
known for Maniac Magee, winner
of the Newbery Medal for Best Children’s Book, and Wringer, a
Newbery Honor Book.
An English major at Gettysburg
College (“because they didn’t have a writing major”), Spinelli spent his spare
time writing short stories and also was editor of the college literary
magazine, The Mercury.
After graduation, he became a full-time
magazine writer and editor while earning his master’s degree from Johns Hopkins
University. He intended to write novels
for adults but couldn’t get publishers interested in any of his first 4 works. His 5th book, also intended for
adults, drew the attention of a children’s book publisher (it was about a
13-year-old) and not only was published but became a top seller, starting him
on a new writing path. 
“Life is full of happy
accidents,” he said. “Sometimes I'm asked if I do
research for my stories. The answer is yes and no. No, in the sense that I
seldom plow through books at the library to gather material. Yes, in the sense
that the first fifteen years of my life turned out to be one big research
project.”
“Life is full of happy
accidents,” he said. “Sometimes I'm asked if I do
research for my stories. The answer is yes and no. No, in the sense that I
seldom plow through books at the library to gather material. Yes, in the sense
that the first fifteen years of my life turned out to be one big research
project.”
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