Jerry Spinelli is a best-selling author of books for children and young adults whose titles include Maniac Magee, winner of the 1991 Newbery Medal, and Wringer, a 1998 Newbery Honor book. Noted for his humor, Spinelli does not shy away from hard-hitting issues such as racism, sex, and peer pressure. He has been compared to Judy Blume for his authentic portrayal of the speech and behavior of young people and, like Blume, has been both criticized and praised for what some consider bad taste, but which the majority of reviewers and readers view as gritty realism. Other popular Spinelli titles include Crash, The Library Card, There's a Girl in My Hammerlock, Fourth Grade Rats, Stargirl, the "Tooter Pepperday" novels, and the series "School Daze."

Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, in 1941, Spinelli, as a kid, was a far cry from the classic library-haunting, pencil-wielding writer in the making. He excelled in reading...