American Writer of young adult fiction and 2001 winner of the Newbery Medal. His best-known works include A Year Down Yonder, A Long Way from Chicago, and The Ghost Belonged to Me.
He graduated from DePauw University with a degree in English and subsequently became a high school and junior high school Teacher. He credited his students with teaching him how to write fiction of interest to young adults.
His first novel, Don't Look and It Won't Hurt, was published in 1972. For the first two decades of his career, he typically published one book per year.
He grew up in Decatur, Illinois. His father ran a Service station, while his mother had graduated from Wesleyan University with an economics degree.
His 1976 novel, Are You in the House Alone?, was adapted into a 1978 made-for-TV thriller starring Blythe Danner, Kathleen Beller, and Dennis Quaid.
