3. •Biographical Information
and other Cool Facts
• 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
4. •Quote
• "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."
5. •Spinelli’s Style
• 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
7. 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
8. 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.
-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
9. 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.
-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
10. 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.
11. 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.
-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
12. “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
13. 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
-Winner 1999 ALA Best Books for Young Adults
