Ben Mikaelsen Explained

Ben Mikaelsen should not be confused with Ben Michaelson.

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

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, 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)
• 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
• 2002: ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults, Touching Spirit Bear

External links

• • Interview at Children's Book Radio (MP3), 2007 audio file

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Notes and References

1. News: Hobbs. Bonnie. 'Words . . . More Hurtful Than Fists'. December 10, 2014. Connection Newspapers. July 9, 2012.
2. Book: Cortés. Carlos E.. Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia, Volume 1. September 3, 2013. SAGE Publications. 380. 9781452276267. December 10, 2014.
3. News: Malernee. Jamie. Author: Don't Be Afraid To Be Different. December 10, 2014. Sun Sentinel. February 23, 2002.
4. News: Olp. Susan. Bozeman writer's head full of stories. December 10, 2014. April 2, 2002.
5. Book: Miller. Wanda J.. Teaching U.S. History Through Children's Literature: Post-World War II. 1998. Libraries Unlimited. 9781563085819. 99. December 10, 2014.
6. Web site: Bauer. Jennifer. Ben Mikaelsen draws from the events of his own extraordinary life to bring to life his books for young adults. Inland360. April 24, 2013. December 10, 2014.
7. Web site: Ben Mikaelsen Biography. https://archive.today/20130202031921/http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=2592. dead. February 2, 2013. Scholastic Inc.. Ben. Mikaelsen. December 16, 2010.
8. Web site: Spur Awards Past Winners. Western Writers of America. December 10, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129111008/http://westernwriters.org/spur-awards-past-winners/. November 29, 2014. dead.
9. Web site: IRA Children's and Young Adults' Book Awards. International Reading Association. December 10, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130804195444/http://www.reading.org/Resources/AwardsandGrants/childrens_ira.aspx. August 4, 2013.
10. Web site: Best Fiction for Young Adults. American Library Association. December 10, 2014.