Jerry Spinelli

Jerry Spinelli was born on February 1, 1941 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. His father was a printer, his mother was a stay-at-home mom, and he had one younger brother. He began his writing carrier in high school, when he wrote a poem that was published in the local newspaper. The event in which he started his carrier is in Knots in My Yo-yo String. After high school he went to Gettysburg College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He went on to Temple University and got his Masters in creative writing. He worked on a trade journal, editing it for the Chilton Company, from 1966-1989. He also became a U.S. Naval Air Reservist in 1966, a posting he held until 1972. On May 21, 1977, he married Eileen Mesi. His first four books were for adults, and were never published. His idea for his first published book, Space Station Seventh Grade, came from when one of his children ate the leftover chicken he was saving. He started to write from the adult’s point of view, but then got the idea to write it from the kids’ point of view. When he published it, he started to write more from the kids’ point of view. Spinelli has written such books as Maniac Magee, Wringer, and Crash. He still lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, and is still writing, as far as I know.

Created by Billy Spaw. October 31, 2007

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*Most of the information from Greenville Public Library in Greenville, Rhode Island. Webpage here.*