Ben Mikaelsen

Ben Mikaelsen (born November 24, 1952) is a Bolivian American writer of children's literature.

Not to be confused with Ben Michaelson.

Early life and education

Ben Mikaelsen was born on November 24, 1952, in La Paz, Bolivia, the son of missionary parents of Danish descent.[1][2] He wasn't sent to school until fourth grade where he was bullied for his race. Mikaelsen moved to the United States with his family shortly before entering seventh grade,[1] where he encountered further bullying because of his poor English capabilities.[3] As a teen in Minnesota, he taught himself to swim and dive, and this led him to take flight and skydiving lessons.[4] Mikaelsen attended USC and Bemidji State University.[5]

Personal life

When building his home in Montana, Ben adopted an American black bear named Buffy for 26 years until the bear's death in September 2012.[6] Ben Mikaelsen considered Buffy a "750-pound member of my family."[7] He has been writing full-time since 1984 and lives in Anacortes, Washington with his wife, Connie. He has written a few books inspired by his bear, such as Touching Spirit Bear and the sequel Ghost of Spirit Bear. He also took a year out of high school to join a parachute team and compete around Minnesota. He goes around the country visiting schools to teach kids about his life and his experience as a victim of bullying.

Published works
  • Rescue Josh McGuire (1991)
  • 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)
  • Sparrow Hawk Red (1993)

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.

References
  1. Hobbs, Bonnie (July 9, 2012). "'Words . . . More Hurtful Than Fists'". Connection Newspapers. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  2. Cortés, Carlos E. (September 3, 2013). Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia, Volume 1. SAGE Publications. p. 380. ISBN 9781452276267. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  3. Malernee, Jamie (February 23, 2002). "Author: Don't Be Afraid To Be Different". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  4. Olp, Susan (April 2, 2002). "Bozeman writer's head full of stories". Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  5. Miller, Wanda J. (1998). Teaching U.S. History Through Children's Literature: Post-World War II. Libraries Unlimited. p. 99. ISBN 9781563085819. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  6. Bauer, Jennifer (April 24, 2013). "Ben Mikaelsen draws from the events of his own extraordinary life to bring to life his books for young adults". Inland360. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  7. Mikaelsen, Ben. "Ben Mikaelsen Biography". Scholastic Inc. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2010.
  8. "Spur Awards Past Winners". Western Writers of America. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  9. "IRA Children's and Young Adults' Book Awards". International Reading Association. Archived from the original on August 4, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  10. "Best Fiction for Young Adults". American Library Association. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

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