Ben Mikaelsen
Encyclopedia
Ben Mikaelsen is a writer of children's literature
.
Mikaelsen is a Settler
in the United States
of Danish
descent. He wasn't sent to school until the fourth grade where he was heavily bullied for his race. Some years later, Mikaelsen moved with his family to the United States where he entered the seventh grade. He began writing full time in 1984, and has won many awards, including the International Reading Association
Award and the Western Writers'
Golden Spur
award. He has also gained many state Readers Choice Awards. He is a sky diving
champion and has written many novels such as Tree Girl, Touching Spirit Bear
, Ghost of Spirit Bear and Petey. Mikaelsen owned a male American Black Bear
named Buffy for 26 years until his death on September 1, 2010. Mikaelsen eventually considered Buffy a "750-pound member of my family." He does not believe it is right to take an animal out of its natural environment
. Today, Mikaelsen lives outside Bozeman, Montana
with his wife and kids. He has been writing books for 26 years.
He visits many schools also.
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
.
Mikaelsen is a Settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
of Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
descent. He wasn't sent to school until the fourth grade where he was heavily bullied for his race. Some years later, Mikaelsen moved with his family to the United States where he entered the seventh grade. He began writing full time in 1984, and has won many awards, including the International Reading Association
International Reading Association
The International Reading Association is an international professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialogue about research on reading, and encourage the habit of reading....
Award and the Western Writers'
Western Writers of America
Western Writers of America, founded 1953, promotes literature, both fiction and non-fiction, pertaining to the American West. Although its founders wrote traditional western fiction, the more than five hundred current members also include historians and other non-fiction writers as well as authors...
Golden Spur
Golden Spur
The Golden Spur Awards are literature awards given for distinguished western fiction about the American West by the Western Writers of America. The first Spur Awards were given in 1953.-Recent winners:*Larry McMurtry for Lonesome Dove...
award. He has also gained many state Readers Choice Awards. He is a sky diving
Parachuting
Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
champion and has written many novels such as Tree Girl, Touching Spirit Bear
Touching Spirit Bear
Touching Spirit Bear is a sex addict2001 young adult novel written by the American author, Ben Mikaelsen. The book isabout a troubled Minneapolis teen named Cole Matthews who completely changes after spending a year on a isolated southwestern Alaskan island.-Plot:Cole Matthews is a fifteen year-old...
, Ghost of Spirit Bear and Petey. Mikaelsen owned a male American Black Bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
named Buffy for 26 years until his death on September 1, 2010. Mikaelsen eventually considered Buffy a "750-pound member of my family." He does not believe it is right to take an animal out of its natural environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
. Today, Mikaelsen lives outside Bozeman, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
with his wife and kids. He has been writing books for 26 years.
He visits many schools also.