Ben Mikaelsen
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Ben Mikaelsen (born December 8, 1952) is a Bolivian American writer of children's literature.
Personal life
Mikaelsen was born in 1952 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 (19
1)
- 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
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External links
- No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.
- Mikaelsen at AuthorTracker
- Interview at Children's Book Radio (MP3), 2007 audio file
- Ben Mikaelsen at Library of Congress Authorities, with 11 catalog records
