Books in Classic Storytellers series

After her sister taught her how to write her name, Jacqueline Woodson began writing on everything. Once she even wrote on the side of a building! (And got into trouble for it.) Prizes for writing soon followed, and in fifth grade her winning poem about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was so well done, everyone thought she copied it from a book. This notoriety taught Jacqueline that she could use writing to get people s attention. As Jacqueline grew older, she began to notice poverty, discrimination, and in-equality all around her and decided to do something about it. She would use books like I Hadn t Meant to Tell You This, Lena, and If You Come Softly to let everyone know about people who were mistreated because they were different. Today, her books are read around the world and have been published in many languages, including Italian, Dutch, Tagalog, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Mandarin, and Turkish.

Edgar Allen Poe is one of the most famous American writers of all time. Yet he was almost ignored while he was alive. He spent much of his life in desperate struggle trying to earn enough money to support himself. As a child, he was an excellent athlete. As he grew older, he was subject to fits of depression and became an alcoholic. He was thrown out of the U.S. Military Academy. He had a hard time holding a steady job. He married his 13-year-old cousin. His problems may have been a result of losing both his parents when he was very young. Poe's turmoil is reflected in his stories and poems. They show the horror and anguish that he almost always felt.

Judy Blume is one of the most popular writers of young adult fiction in the world. For over three decades Blume’s books have been embraced by young girls everywhere. She has sold over 75 million books, which have been translated into more than twenty languages. Much of Blume’s success is due to her insistence on portraying ‘tweens and teens in realistic situations. But that same dedication to the truth has also made Blume one of the most controversial authors of the last fifty years. No other writer has had more books banned from libraries and schools than Blume because of her straightforward depiction of teen issues. As a result, Blume has become one of America’s most vocal advocates against censorship and a champion of the First Amendment to ensure that the next generation of writers will have the same creative freedom she has enjoyed.

It would be hard to a find a writer who lived a more adventurous life than Ernest Hemingway. Not long after learning to walk, he developed a love of fishing and hunting and other sports that remained for the rest of his life. He survived a serious wound in World War I and decided to try to become a successful writer. His first novel, The Sun Also Rises, made him famous. The continued success of his writing and his rugged lifestyle soon made him an almost larger-than-life figure. He attracted the same sort of media attention as modern-day pop stars. More than 40 years after his death, people still instantly recognize his picture.

Matt Christopher grew up with two passions baseball and writing. As a young man, he played semiprofessional ball but quickly realized that while talented, he wasn t good enough to be a professional player. So he channeled all his creative energies into being a writer. Every night when he got home from work he would sit in front of his typewriter and turn out stories. Eventually, he started getting published, but he wasn t selling enough to make a living at writing. And then he took the advice of his local librarian, who suggested he combine his love of sports with his love of writing. The result was The Lucky Baseball Bat, and Matt Christopher knew he had finally found his niche. He became known as the bestselling sportswriter for children, having written more than 100 books that have sold over six million copies. More than anything, Matt Christopher proved that if you try hard enough, your dreams really can come true.