Arellano University

Juan Sumulong Campus

2600 Legarda St Sampaloc Manila

Book Report on Jerry Spinelli Crash

Submitted to: Ms. Zaira Padre

Submitted by: Dindi Dianne R. Gibaga

Introduction:

A graduate of Gettysburg College, Jerry Spinelli spent years working as a magazine

editor before his writing career took off. He published his first book for kids, Space
Station Seventh Grade, in 1982. In 1990, Spinelli debuted the award-winning novel
Maniac Magee. More acclaimed works soon followed, including Wringer (1997), Stargirl
(2000) and Milkweed (2003). His recent publications include Jake and Lily (2012),
Hokey Pokey (2013) and Mama Seeton's Whistle (2015).
Award-winning childrens book author Jerry Spinelli was born on February 1, 1941, in
Norristown, Pennsylvania. He is known for such works as Maniac Magee (1990),
Wringer (1997) and Stargirl (2000). As a child, his big ambition was to become a
cowboy. He even turned up to school one day in his full western regalia. On his website,
Spinelli wrote in second grade I dressed up in my cowboy outfit, complete with golden
cap pistols and spurs on my boots. He even got up and sang I Have Spurs that Jingle
Jangle Jingle.
Spinelli then dreamed of being a baseball player. He was involved in the sport during
his junior high and high school years, but he soon switched gears. In an interview on
Scholastic.com, Spinelli said he had his first work published in high school. He wrote a
poem about his high school football winning a heart-stopping game against one of the
best teams in the country. The poem appeared in the local newspaper, and suddenly I
had something new to become: a writer.
After high school, Spinelli attended Gettysburg College. There he majored in English
and served as the editor of the schools literary magazine. Spinelli also attended writing
seminars at Johns Hopkins University. He then landed a job as an editor for a
magazine, and he used his lunch hours to craft his fiction. It was also at the office that
he met his wife Eileen, and the couple eventually married and had six children together.
At first, Spinelli focused on writing for adults. He had four unpublished novels under
his belt before he had his first big break. Spinelli decided to write from a childs point of
view for his next book instead of an adult. With the help of his wife, he landed an agent
to represent him and went on to publish his debut childrens book, Space Station
Seventh Grade, in 1982. He followed up that novel with Who Put That Hair in My
Toothbrush? (1984), which drew inspiration from two of his own children who had a
contentious relationship.
After these initial successes, Spinelli continued to write about the lives of children and
young adults to great acclaim. His 1990 novel, Maniac Magee, won the Boston Globe-
Horn Book Award for Fiction and the Newbery Medal. The title character in the book
helps bring together a racially divided community. In 1997, Spinelli published Wringer, a
Newbery Honor award winner. In the novel, Palmer LaRue, the storys main character,
doesnt want to turn 10 because that will mean that he is expected to participate in a
town ritual that he abhors.
 The following year, Spinelli shared the details of his own early life in Knots in My Yo-
Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid. Stargirl, which debuted in 2000, spoke to young
readers with its offbeat title character and its message of self-acceptance. A sequel,
Love, Stargirl, followed in 2009. In 2003, Spinelli delved into the world of historical
fiction with Milkweed. The novel explored the experiences of a young boy living in the
Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Spinellis more recent works include and Jake and
Lily (2012), Hokey Pokey (2013) and Mama Seeton's Whistle (2015).
Spinelli also teamed up with his wife Eileen, a talented childrens book author herself,
for Today I Will: A Year of Quotes, Notes and Promises to Myself (2009).