Matt de la Peña

Matthew de la Peña is an American writer of children's books who specializes in novels for young adults. He won the Newbery Medal in 2016 for his book Last Stop on Market Street.[1][2]

Matt de la Peña
De la Peña at the 2013 Texas Book Festival
De la Peña at the 2013 Texas Book Festival
BornCalifornia, United States
OccupationWriter and educator
NationalityAmerican
Education
Period2005–present
GenreYoung-adult novels
ChildrenLuna de la Peña and Miguel de la Peña
Website
mattdelapena.com

Biography

A San Diego, California, native,[3] Matt de la Peña received his BA from University of the Pacific, which he attended on a basketball scholarship. He then received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University.

De la Peña wrote Mexican WhiteBoy in 2008, drawing on his own teenage passion for sports and Mexican heritage.[4] The novel was banned from classrooms in Tucson, Arizona, starting in 2012, when lawmakers passed laws to remove materials containing "critical race theory,"[5] until 2017, when the court ruled the law violated the constitutional rights of Mexican American students.[6]

In 2016, de la Peña was honored with the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) National Intellectual Freedom Award.[7] In 2015, he wrote Last Stop on Market Street which won the 2016 Newbery Medal. In 2021, he published Milo Imagines the World, which was named to the 2022 Bank Street Children's Best Books of the Year List with an "Outstanding Merit" distinction and shared the committee's Josette Frank Award with Angeline Boulley's Firekeeper's Daughter.[8]

As of 2022, he resides in Southern California.[9] He teaches creative writing at San Diego State University.[10]

Books
Year Title Illustrator Publisher Note
2005 Ball Don't Lie Delacorte Press Named a 2006 ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and an ALA-YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, and developed into a motion picture in 2008 featuring Ludacris, Nick Cannon, and Emilie de Ravin.[11][12][13]
2008 Mexican WhiteBoy Delacorte Press Named a 2009 ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults (Top Ten Pick), and was featured on the 2008 Bulletin for the Center of Children's Literature Blue Ribbon List.[11][14]
2009 We Were Here Random House Inc Named a 2010 ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, a 2010 ALA-YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers.[15][16]
2010 I Will Save You Named a 2011 ALA-YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers and a Junior Library Guild Selection.[17]
A Nation's Hope-The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis Kadir Nelson Received starred reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.[18] A 2012 Bank Street Children's Book Committee's Best Book of the Year.[19]
2013 Infinity Ring: Curse of the Ancients [20][21]
Eternity
The Living [22][23][24]
2015 The Hunted Penguin Random House
Last Stop on Market Street Christian Robinson Penguin Books Won the 2016 Newbery Medal,[25][26][27] a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor,[28] and a Caldecott Honor.[29] A 2016 Bank Street Children's Book Committee's Best Book of the Year with an "outstanding merit" distinction.[19]
2018 Love Loren Long
Carmela Full of Wishes Christian Robinson
2019 Superman: Dawnbreaker
2021 Milo Imagines the World Christian Robinson G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers A New York Times Bestseller.[30] A 2022 Bank Street Children's Book Committee's Best Book of the Year with an "outstanding merit" distinction and winner of the committee's Josette Frank Award for fiction for younger readers.[8]

Further reading

References
  1. Hetter, Katia (11 January 2016). "Best children's books: 2016 Newbery, Caldecott winners". CNN. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  2. Angela Carone. "National City Native Wins Prestigious Newbery Medal". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  3. "The Rumpus Interview With Matt De La Peña - The Rumpus.net". The Rumpus.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  4. Steinberg, David (14 September 2008). "Basketball fanatic didn't discover passion for books and writing until college". McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Albuquerque Journal. Albuquerque, New Mexico: The America's Intelligence Wire. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  5. Winerip, Michael (2012-03-19). "Racial Lens Used to Cull Curriculum in Arizona". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  6. "Arizona's ban on Mexican American studies was racist, U.S. court rules". Washington Post. August 23, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  7. "Author Matt de la Peña Receives Intellectual Freedom Award". www.ncte.org. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  8. Hare, Peter. "Awards". Bank Street College of Education. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  9. "Bio". mattdelapena.com. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  10. https://mfa.sdsu.edu/faculty/de-la-pena
  11. Ashley Strickland, CNN (9 April 2014). "Diversity in young adult literature: Where's the 'Mexican Katniss'? - CNN.com". CNN. Retrieved 30 April 2016. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  12. "One Thing Leads to Another: An Interview with Matt de la Peña – The Hub". The Hub. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  13. "Matt de la Peña". mattdelapena.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  14. "Matt de la Peña". mattdelapena.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  15. "Matt de la Peña". mattdelapena.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  16. "Wouldn't You Like to Know . . . Matt de la Peña". voyamagazine.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  17. "Matt de la Peña". mattdelapena.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  18. "Matt de la Peña". mattdelapena.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  19. "Best Children's Books of the Year Archive". Bank Street College of Education. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  20. "Infinity Ring: Curse of the Ancients". mattdelapena.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  21. "Infinity Ring Book 4: Curse of the Ancients". scholastic.com. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  22. "The Wave". The New York Times. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  23. "Interview: Matt De La Pena, Author Of 'The Living' : NPR". NPR.org. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  24. "Something Louder, Something New - SLJ Talks to Matt de la Peña About 'The Living'". School Library Journal. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  25. "'Last Stop On Market Street' Wins Newbery Medal, 'Finding Winnie' Takes Caldecott". NPR.org. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  26. "Matt de la Peña Becomes First Latino Male Author to Win Prestigious Newbery Medal - Latino USA". Latino USA. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  27. "Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast". blaine.org. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  28. "The Coretta Scott King Book Awards". Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  29. "Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-Present". Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  30. "Children's Picture Books - Best Sellers - Books - March 14, 2021 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
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