Jerry Spinelli won the Newbery Medal in 1991 for Maniac Magee, the sixth of his more than 15 acclaimed books for young readers.ย ย Jerry is known for his entertaining and funny books for children and young adults.ย ย He grew up in Norristown, PA.ย ย At one time, he dreamed of becoming a major league baseball player.ย ย All of this changed when his poem about a football game was published at age 16 in the local newspaper.ย ย From then on, he wanted to become a writer.ย ย After college, Jerry became an editor for a magazine about engineering.ย ย For many years, during his lunch hour, he wrote books for adults.ย ย None of them were published.ย ย Jerry's first book for children was published when he was 41 yearsย ย old.ย ย
He now lives in Phoenixville, PA with his wife, Eileen Spinelli, who is also an author of children's books.ย ย They have six children -- five from Eileen before they married, and one of their own.