Spinelli, Jerry (1941-…), is an American author of novels for young adults. Much of Spinelli’s fiction deals with such subjects as racism, gender stereotypes, school bullies, peer pressure, and difficult moral choices. Spinelli often mixes fantasy with realism in exploring these serious themes. Critics have praised Spinelli for writing sympathetically about sensitive issues from the viewpoint of young people. The author won the 1991 Newbery Medal for Maniac Magee (1990). The Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the best children’s book by an American.
The hero of Maniac Magee is Jeffrey Lionel Magee. The boy receives the nickname “Maniac” because of his running speed. After Jeffrey’s parents die, he is sent to live with an uncaring aunt and uncle. He runs away and eventually reaches the racially divided town of Two Mills, Pennsylvania. There, he lives with both Black and white families. The novel involves racial tensions, but it is also filled with humor and exaggeration.
Spinelli’s first children’s book was Space Station Seventh Grade (1982). The central character is 13-year-old Jason Herkimer, who must deal with his maturing body and the death of a friend’s brother. The story also explores racism and the place of women in society. Crash (1996) is about a school bully. Loser (2002) centers on a boy who is unpopular with his peers. Spinelli’s other children’s novels include Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush? (1984); There’s a Girl in My Hammerlock (1991); Wringer (1997); Stargirl (2000) and its sequel, Love, Stargirl (2007); and the related novels Fourth Grade Rats (1991) and Third Grade Angels (2012). Other novels include Milkweed (2003), Eggs (2007), Smiles to Go (2008), Hokey Pokey (2013), and The Warden’s Daughter (2017). Dead Wednesday (2021) is about an eighth-grade boy who encounters the ghost of a teenage girl for one day.
Spinelli has written the “School Daze” series about the adventures of a group of sixth-grade students at Plumstead Middle School. The series began with Report to the Principal’s Office (1991). He also wrote the picture books My Daddy and Me (2002), I Can Be Anything! (2010), Jake and Lily (2012), Mama Seeton’s Whistle (2015), and My Fourth of July (2019). Spinelli has written two autobiographies, In My Own Words (1997) and Knots in My Yo-Yo String: The Autobiography of a Kid (1998).
Spinelli was born on Feb. 1, 1941, in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He received a B.A. degree from Gettysburg College in 1963. He earned an M.A. degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1964. He worked as an editor for Chilton, a magazine publisher, from 1966 to 1989.
