Ben Mikaelsen
Ben Mikaelsen (born December 8, 1952) is a Bolivian American writer of children's literature.
Personal life
Mikaelsen was born in 1952 Dec.8 in La Paz, Bolivia. The son of missionary parents[1] of Danish descent,[2] he wasn't sent to school until the fourth grade where he was bullied for his race. Mikaelsen moved to the United States with his family shortly before entering the seventh grade,[1] where he encountered further bullying because of his spoken English skills.[3] As a teen in Minnesota, he taught himself to swim and dive, and took flight and skydiving lessons.[4] Mikaelsen attended Concordia College and Bemidji State University.[5]
Mikaelsen owned a male American black bear named Buffy for 26 years until the bear's death in 2010.[6] Mikaelsen considered Buffy a "750-pound member of my family."[7] He has been writing full-time since 1984 and currently lives around Bozeman, Montana with his wife, Connie.
Published Works
- Rescue Josh McGuire (1991)
- Sparrow Hawk Red (1993)
- Stranded (1995)
- Countdown (1996)
- Petey (1998)
- Touching Spirit Bear (2001)
- Red Midnight (2002)
- Tree Girl (2004)
- Ghost of Spirit Bear (2008)
- Jungle of Bones (2014)
Awards and honors
Mikaelson's work has won many state youth literature awards, including the California Young Reader Medal and Wyoming's Indian Paintbrush Book Award.
- 1991: Golden Spur, Juvenile Fiction, Rescue Josh McGuire[8]
- 1992: International Reading Association Children's Book Award, Older Reader Category, Rescue Josh McGuire[9]
- 1999: ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults, Petey[10]
- 1999: Golden Spur, Juvenile Fiction, Petey [8]
- 2002: ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults, Touching Spirit Bear[10]
References
- 1 2 Hobbs, Bonnie (9 Jul 2012). "'Words . . . More Hurtful Than Fists'". Connection Newspapers. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ↑ Cortés, Carlos E. (3 September 2013). Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia, Volume 1. SAGE Publications. p. 380. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ↑ Malernee, Jamie (23 Feb 2002). "Author: Don't Be Afraid To Be Different". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ↑ Olp, Susan (2 Apr 2002). "Bozeman writer's head full of stories". Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ↑ Miller, Wanda J. (1998). Teaching U.S. History Through Children's Literature: Post-World War II. Libraries Unlimited. p. 99. ISBN 9781563085819. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ↑ Bauer, Jennifer (24 Apr 2013). "Ben Mikaelsen draws from the events of his own extraordinary life to bring to life his books for young adults". Inland360. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ↑ Mikaelsen, Ben. "Ben Mikaelsen Biography". Scholastic Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-16.
- 1 2 "Spur Awards Past Winners". Western Writers of America. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- ↑ "IRA Children's and Young Adults' Book Awards". International Reading Association. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
- 1 2 "Best Fiction for Young Adults". American Library Association. Retrieved 10 December 2014.
External links
- Official website
- Interview at Children's Book Radio (MP3), 2007 audio file
- Ben Mikaelsen at Library of Congress Authorities, with 11 catalog records