Gennifer Choldenko
Encyclopedia
Gennifer Choldenko is a Newbery Honor-winning American
writer of popular books for children and adolescents.
. She is the youngest of four siblings: two sisters and one brother. Her sister, Gina, has autism.
, Choldenko majored in literature and creative writing before she went on to work in advertising. There she learned a lot about craft, discipline, and deadlines. In her creative writing, she realized that many of the stories she wrote focused on 12- to 16-year-old characters, so writing for children seemed to be a likely career path. At the Rhode Island School of Design, where she received a BFA degree in illustration, she was taught by author/illustrators such as Chris Van Allsburg
and David Macaulay
. As Gennifer honed her craft, she felt that her writing skills were becoming stronger than her illustration skills. When Hyperion offered her a contract for her first book, the picture book Moonstruck: The True Story of the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon, they wanted it to be illustrated by someone else, which moved her farther along the path of becoming a full-time writer.
Gennifer’s first novel, Notes from a Liar and Her Dog, was published in 2001.
Al Capone Does My Shirts was published three years after that, garnering a Newbery Honor, and “Best Book of the Year” from School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly. A sequel, Al Capone Shines My Shoes, followed in 2009, and a third Al Capone novel is planned for 2012. Gennifer’s novels have been translated into 12 languages.
A good deal of research for the Al Capone books was accomplished while serving as a docent on Alcatraz Island
. Gennifer Choldenko observed changes in weather, as well as the terrain, buildings, library, and treasured connections to dozens of people who were guards on the island or who grew up on the island. In fact, Gennifer is an honorary member of the Alcatraz Alumni Association—she has attended the group’s Alumni Day six or seven times.
In between the novels about Moose Flanagan, his family, friends, and Al Capone, readers were treated to If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period and the upcoming No Passengers Beyond This Point, due out in early 2011.
Al Capone Does My Shirts: ALA Notable Book, ALA Notable Recording, Best Books for Young Adults, Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year, California Library Association Beatty and Focal Awards, Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, California Young Reader Medal
2007, New York Library's Best 100 Books for Reading and Sharing, Publisher's Weekly Best Books of the Year, School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
Al Capone Shines My Shoes Amazon Top Ten Middle Grade Novels for 2009, Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2009, Kirkus Reviews Best Children"s Books of 2009, Minnesota Public Radio's Books to Read in 2010, Barnes and Noble Best Children's Books of the Year 2009
For a complete list of all awards: Gennifer Choldenko's website
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer of popular books for children and adolescents.
Early life
Gennifer Choldenko is a native of Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
. She is the youngest of four siblings: two sisters and one brother. Her sister, Gina, has autism.
Career
A graduate of Brandeis UniversityBrandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, Choldenko majored in literature and creative writing before she went on to work in advertising. There she learned a lot about craft, discipline, and deadlines. In her creative writing, she realized that many of the stories she wrote focused on 12- to 16-year-old characters, so writing for children seemed to be a likely career path. At the Rhode Island School of Design, where she received a BFA degree in illustration, she was taught by author/illustrators such as Chris Van Allsburg
Chris Van Allsburg
Chris Van Allsburg is an American author and illustrator of children's books. He twice won the Caldecott Medal, for Jumanji and The Polar Express , both of which he wrote and illustrated, and both of which were later adapted into successful motion pictures...
and David Macaulay
David Macaulay
David Macaulay is an author and illustrator. Now a resident of Norwich, Vermont, United States, he is an alumnus and faculty member at the Rhode Island School of Design.- Biography :...
. As Gennifer honed her craft, she felt that her writing skills were becoming stronger than her illustration skills. When Hyperion offered her a contract for her first book, the picture book Moonstruck: The True Story of the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon, they wanted it to be illustrated by someone else, which moved her farther along the path of becoming a full-time writer.
Gennifer’s first novel, Notes from a Liar and Her Dog, was published in 2001.
Al Capone Does My Shirts was published three years after that, garnering a Newbery Honor, and “Best Book of the Year” from School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and Publishers Weekly. A sequel, Al Capone Shines My Shoes, followed in 2009, and a third Al Capone novel is planned for 2012. Gennifer’s novels have been translated into 12 languages.
A good deal of research for the Al Capone books was accomplished while serving as a docent on Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
. Gennifer Choldenko observed changes in weather, as well as the terrain, buildings, library, and treasured connections to dozens of people who were guards on the island or who grew up on the island. In fact, Gennifer is an honorary member of the Alcatraz Alumni Association—she has attended the group’s Alumni Day six or seven times.
In between the novels about Moose Flanagan, his family, friends, and Al Capone, readers were treated to If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period and the upcoming No Passengers Beyond This Point, due out in early 2011.
Awards
- 2004: Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal in Literature, Al Capone Does My Shirts
- 2005: Newbery Honor, Al Capone Does My Shirts
Al Capone Does My Shirts: ALA Notable Book, ALA Notable Recording, Best Books for Young Adults, Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year, California Library Association Beatty and Focal Awards, Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, California Young Reader Medal
California Young Reader Medal
The California Young Reader Medal is an award given annually to books nominated and voted on by children in California. The medal was established in 1974 and encourages recreational reading...
2007, New York Library's Best 100 Books for Reading and Sharing, Publisher's Weekly Best Books of the Year, School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
Al Capone Shines My Shoes Amazon Top Ten Middle Grade Novels for 2009, Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2009, Kirkus Reviews Best Children"s Books of 2009, Minnesota Public Radio's Books to Read in 2010, Barnes and Noble Best Children's Books of the Year 2009
For a complete list of all awards: Gennifer Choldenko's website