Greg Neri (pen name G. Neri) is an American author and is known for his work in

young adult fiction Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

. He has written books in

free verse Free verse is an open form of poetry which does not use a prescribed or regular meter or rhyme and tends to follow the rhythm of natural or irregular speech. Free verse encompasses a large range of poetic form, and the distinction between free ...

and novelistic prose, as well as

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

s and non-fiction. He has written 14 books for young people. Neri is the winner of the

Michael L. Printz award The Michael L. Printz Award is an American Library Association literary award that annually recognizes the "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit". It is sponsored by ''Booklist'' magazine; administered by the ALA's ...

and a Coretta Scott King honor and has received awards from the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the

International Reading Association The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dial ...

Personal life and education

Greg Neri was raised in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He moved to

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

, to attend the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of C ...

. In 2001, he illustrated his first book for Scholastic, but turned to writing in 2005. In 2017, he went to Antarctica on a grant from the National Science Foundation. In 2023, he was given an honorary doctorate for his literary output and polar science outreach from the State University of New York (SUNY). He currently resides in Tampa,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

with his wife Maggie.

Books

Neri's 2007 first novel, ''Chess Rumble'', is about an 11-year-old inner-city teen named Marcus who fights back against his bully, but is challenged by a chess master to fight his battles on the chessboard instead. ''Chess Rumble'' received praise from critics and bloggers. ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'' said "This book will become a standby pick for reluctant readers, who will be pulled in before they know it by the story’s quick pace and the authenticity of Marcus’s voice and experience.” The book was named a Notable Book by the

, the

, and the

National Council of Teachers of English The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is a United States professional organization dedicated to "improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts English studies (or simply, English) is an academic discip ...

. In 2010, Neri received the Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award from the International Reading Association for his free-verse on Chess Rumble. Neri's first novel, ''Surf Mules'', revolves around two California surfers who find themselves embroiled in a world of disorganized crime. Publishers Weekly called it "Poignant and heartbreaking." Neri's graphic novel '' Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty'' is about

Robert "Yummy" Sandifer Robert Sandifer (March 12, 1983 – September 1, 1994), also known as Yummy, was an African-American boy from Chicago, Illinois. His murder by fellow gang members in Chicago garnered national attention because of his age, resulting in his appeara ...

, who was eleven years old in 1994 when he became a fugitive from justice after accidentally killing a neighbor girl, before being killed by the gang he was in. The book won a Coretta Scott King honor, and was honored by the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Museum of Tolerance. It was named one of the best graphic novels for all ages by CNN and Flavorwire. His novel ''Ghetto Cowboy'' is inspired by the real-life black urban cowboys in

North Philadelphia North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City, Philadelphia, Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as ...

. The story is about an 11-year-old named Cole, who is abandoned on the doorstep of the father he's never met, but befriends a horse and eventually becomes a cowboy. Neri has said he was inspired by an article in ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' magazine. The

Christian Science Monitor ''The Christian Science Monitor'' (''CSM''), commonly known as ''The Monitor'', is a nonprofit news organization that publishes daily articles both in electronic format and a weekly print edition. It was founded in 1908 as a daily newspaper b ...

praised the book. In 2021 the novel was adapted into a motion picture for

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

called ''

Concrete Cowboy ''Concrete Cowboy'' is a 2020 American drama film directed by Ricky Staub from a screenplay by Staub and Dan Walser. The movie is based on the novel ''Ghetto Cowboy'' by Greg Neri, which was inspired by the real urban African-American horseridi ...

'', starring

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba Order of the British Empire, OBE ( ; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor and musician. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and six Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Awards. He w ...

and

Caleb Mclaughlin Caleb Reginald McLaughlin (born October 13, 2001) is an American actor. He gained international recognition playing Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix series ''Stranger Things'' (2016–present). He began his career playing young Simba in the Broadw ...

. ''Knockout Games'' is based on the real-life origins of the infamous knockout games in St. Louis of recent years. The story concerns a white girl who falls in with a group of middle graders and high schoolers who play the dreaded game.

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

gave it a

starred review A starred review is a book review marked with a star to denote a book of distinction or particularly high quality. A starred review can help to increase media coverage, bookstore placement and sales of a book. Outlets that published starred review ...

, saying: ''"''The results are thrilling... Harsh and relentless, a tough but worthy read." Neri's first picture book and biography charted the rags to riches rise of

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

. Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal and Booklist gave it starred reviews. A second musical biography, about the childhood friendship of Simon and Garfunkel followed, called ''When Paulie Met Artie''. Kirkus said, "Music lovers and fans will delight in sharing this book with young family and friends... Part nostalgia, part history, and all tuneful." Neri's middle grade novel, ''Tru & Nelle'' is a detective story starring

Harper Lee Nelle Harper Lee (April 28, 1926 – February 19, 2016) was an American novelist whose 1960 novel ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and became a classic of modern American literature. She assisted her close friend Truman ...

and

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics ...

as children growing up in the Deep South during the Depression. In a starred review, Kirkus said, "An engaging portrait of two children’s authors before they became famous." A sequel, A Christmas Tale, came out the following year, exploring their teenage years. In a starred review, Kirkus said, "An absorbing story of true friends in troubled times." In 2018, Neri wrote '' Grand Theft Horse'', a graphic novel biography of his cousin, the horse trainer Gail Ruffu, who stole a racehorse to save its life. School Library Journal said, ''“''VERDICT: Superb. Ruffu’s tenacity and the book’s satisfying conclusion will appeal to fans of the “March” trilogy.” In 2020, his book Ghetto Cowboy was adapted into the Netflix film,

, starring Idris Elba and Caleb McLaughlin. He served as Executive Producer. The film debuted at #1 over Easter weekend, 2021. Variety called it a "Masterful Father-Son Drama." A novel sequel
Polo Cowboy
came out the following year. 2023 saw the release of his multiple starred-reviewed books
My Antarctica
an
Safe Passage
as well as a Michael L. Printz award for his contribution to the anthology, ''The Collectors: Stories''.

Writing approach

Neri has been asked about what themes he writes about and for whom. He has said that "I'm trying to re-think the notion of what a book means to urban teens. Many teens can make it through high school without ever having read a book of fiction. But that's because to them, books are big, full of words, and told in a voice that is alien to them. Most of these kids are now born into a more visual society, so I think playing with graphic novels and illustrations and using voices and characters that you don't see often in literature is a big plus for reluctant readers in the city. I see my books as gateway books to Jane Austen."

Publications

Novels

* ''Surf Mules'' (Carolrhoda Lab, 2009) * ''Ghetto Cowboy'' (Candlewick, 2011) * ''Knockout Games'' (Carolrhoda Lab, 2014) * ''Polo Cowboy'' (Candlewick, 2021) *''Tru & Nelle'' (HMH, 2016) *''Tru & Nelle: A Christmas Tale'' (HMH 2017)

Graphic novels

* ''Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty'' (Lee and Low, 2010) * ''Grand Theft Horse'' (Tu, 2018) *''The Time Traveling Dino Detectives of Antarctica'' (Ice Boy Comics, 2020) * ''Safe Passage'' (Lee and Low, 2023)

Free-verse novellas/ Picture books

* ''Chess Rumble'' (Lee and Low, 2007) * ''Hello, I'm Johnny Cash'' (Candlewick, 2014) *''When Paulie Met Artie'' (Candlewick, 2018) *''Christo and Jeanne_Claude Wrap the World'' (Candlewick, 2023) *''My Antarctica'' (Candlewick, 2024)

Anthologies

* Who Done It (Soho Teen, 2013) * Open Mic (Candlewick, 2016) * Traveling the Blue Road, Poems of the Sea (Seagrass Press, 2017) * I Remember: Poems and Pictures of Heritage (Lee and Low, 2019) * No Voice too Small (Charles Bridge, 2020) * The Collectors: Stories (Dutton, 2023)

Easy Readers (as illustrator)

* ''Hooray for Teeth'' by Gina Shaw (Scholastic, 2001) )

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neri, Greg American graphic novelists American writers of young adult literature Writers from Los Angeles 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American male writers University of California, Santa Cruz alumni Michael L. Printz Award winners Writers from Santa Cruz, California