'First be a reader'

 

“I think the reason I'm a writer is because first, I was a reader. I loved to read. I read a lot of adventure stories and mystery books, and I have wonderful memories of my mom reading picture books aloud to me. I learned that words are powerful.” – Andrew Clements

  

Born in Camden, NJ on May 29, 1949 Clements (who died in 2019) wrote more than 80 books, led by his debut novel Frindle, which won multiple awards and has sold 6 million copies worldwide.  The book won 20 state book awards and the Christopher Award given to writing that “affirms the highest values of the human spirit.”  In 2015-16 it was named the Phoenix Award winner for the best book that did not win a major award when it was first published (in 1996).    

 

Clements, who died in 2019, said that in addition to loving to read he had great teachers who nurtured and encouraged his writing.  He started his own career as a teacher, but gravitated back to books, working for publishing houses to help develop quality children's books.  In 1985 he added the first of his own work to the market with a picture book called Bird Delbert. 

“Sometimes kids ask how I've been able to write so many books,” he said.   “The answer is simple: one word at a time. Which is another good lesson, I think. You don't have to do everything at once. You don't have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word.”