Author of Touching Spirit Bear, Petey, and Ghost of Spirit Bear, Ben Mikaelsen has written many novels and won many awards, “such as the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America, Inc., and the Children’s Book Award from the International Reading Association, both in 1991 and both for the book Rescue Josh McGuire” (Benson, Sonia).” Mikaelsen bases his stories from mostly his own experiences. He says,
‘I can go to libraries and get a lot of my research, but I’ve never found the soul of my story in a library. Not until I was laying awake at 4:00 in the morning trying to bottle-feed a cub that was almost starved to death. In that struggle--...I discovered the soul of my novel….when I was among the homeless and I saw that look of hopelessness …show more content…
In school, he would be bullied constantly, on his skin and academics, since he was not the best pupil in his classes. His teachers would strap him daily because of his grades. He actually held a record of four strappings in one day; a lasting record until the school closed and the principal was charged with child abuse. At the age of 13, his family moved to Minnesota. Even there, Ben would get bullied because of his clothes and his academics. There, he began to write. He wasn’t the best speller, but he soon learned how to convey feelings into his whimsical stories, even if they were spelled incorrectly. During high school, he took flying lessons and learned to even dive off 50-foot cliffs, but still did not consider himself a writer because of his reading abilities and handwriting. After realizing that he truly was a writer in college, he learned that “any student can learn in life is that their life is the greatest story they will ever tell” (About Ben).
(How his background influenced his writing) Ben Mikaelsen’s background was harsh. He lived in Bolivia during 3 revolutions. He was bullied for most of his school years. He had no self-esteem. These feelings of sadness, pain, and regret are included throughout his
‘I can go to libraries and get a lot of my research, but I’ve never found the soul of my story in a library. Not until I was laying awake at 4:00 in the morning trying to bottle-feed a cub that was almost starved to death. In that struggle--...I discovered the soul of my novel….when I was among the homeless and I saw that look of hopelessness …show more content…
In school, he would be bullied constantly, on his skin and academics, since he was not the best pupil in his classes. His teachers would strap him daily because of his grades. He actually held a record of four strappings in one day; a lasting record until the school closed and the principal was charged with child abuse. At the age of 13, his family moved to Minnesota. Even there, Ben would get bullied because of his clothes and his academics. There, he began to write. He wasn’t the best speller, but he soon learned how to convey feelings into his whimsical stories, even if they were spelled incorrectly. During high school, he took flying lessons and learned to even dive off 50-foot cliffs, but still did not consider himself a writer because of his reading abilities and handwriting. After realizing that he truly was a writer in college, he learned that “any student can learn in life is that their life is the greatest story they will ever tell” (About Ben).
(How his background influenced his writing) Ben Mikaelsen’s background was harsh. He lived in Bolivia during 3 revolutions. He was bullied for most of his school years. He had no self-esteem. These feelings of sadness, pain, and regret are included throughout his