Andrew Elborn Clements (May 29, 1949 – November 28, 2019) was an American author of

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

. His

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to ...

Frindle ''Frindle'' is a middle-grade American children's novel written by Andrew Clements, illustrated by Brian Selznick, and published by the company Aladdin in 1996. It was the winner of the 2016 Phoenix Award, which is granted by the Children's Lite ...

'' won an award determined by the vote of U.S. schoolchildren in about 20 different U.S. states. In June 2015, Frindle was named the

Phoenix Award The Phoenix Award annually recognizes one English-language children's book published twenty years earlier that did not then win a major literary award. It is named for the mythical bird phoenix that is reborn from its own ashes, signifying the bo ...

winner for 2016, as it was the best book that did not win a major award when it was published.

Life

Clements was born in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 20 ...

, and lived in nearby

Oaklyn Oaklyn is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,930, a decrease of 108 (−2.7%) from the 2010 census count of 4,038, which in turn reflected a decline ...

and

Cherry Hill A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

before moving to

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

as a pre-teen. As a child, he enjoyed summers at a lakeside cabin in

Maine Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...

where he spent his days swimming, hiking, water skiing, and his evenings reading books. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

and a Masters of Arts in Elementary Education from National Louis University, he worked as a teacher, sharing his love of reading with elementary, middle, and high school students. He worked for several publishing companies where he published, acquired, edited, marketed, and developed quality children's books. In 1985, Clements added his own work to the market with a picture book entitled ''Bird Delbert''. His first novel was the award-winning ''

'', which has won 16 state book awards, as well as the

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organizatio ...

. Clements was married to the former Rebecca Pierpont, and they had three sons. He died at his home in

Baldwin, Maine Baldwin is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,520 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine, metropolitan statistical area. History First called Flintstown Pl ...

, on November 28, 2019, at age 70.

Awards

Frindle The

Children's Literature Association The Children's Literature Association (ChLA) is a non-profit association, based in the United States, of scholars, critics, professors, students, librarians, teachers, and institutions dedicated to studying children's literature.Margaret W. Denman- ...

named ''Frindle'' the best English-language children's book published in 1996 that did not win a major contemporary book award, thus making it the winner of the

for 2016."Phoenix Award"
. Children's Literature Association (childlitassn.org). June 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015. Contemporary Awards * 2001: Utah Children's Choice Award * 1999–2000: Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award * 1999: Texas Children's Crown Award * 1999: Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice, (WA, OR, MT, AK, ID, AB, BC) * 1999: South Dakota Prairie Pasque Award * 1999: Sasquatch Children's Book Award, (WA) * 1999: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award, (IL) * 1998–1999: Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 4–6 * 1998–1999: Young Hoosier Book Award, (IN) * 1998–1999: North Carolina Children's Choice Award * 1998–1999: Nevada Young Readers' Award * 1998–1999: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award, (AR) * 1998–1999: Maud Hart Lovelace Award, MN Youth Reading Award * 1998–1999: Georgia Children's Book Award * 1998–1999: William Allen White Children's Book Award, (KS) * 1998–1999: Massachusetts Children's Book Award * 1998:

Prize Cento The Children's Literature Prize "Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cento" is an international competition aimed at authors of children's books ( elementary and middle school) in Italian, original or translated. Origins The Prize Cento was estab ...

, Cento, Italy * 1998: Rhode Island Children's Book Award * 1997–1998: Great Stone Face Book Award, (NH) * 1997: Judy Lopez Memorial Honor Book (L.A.)Award * 1997: Christopher Award * 1998–1999 Georgia children's book award Nominations and runners-up * 1999–2000: Nutmeg Children's Book Award, (CT) * 1999–2000: Land of Enchantment Book Award, (NM) * 1999–2000: California Young Reader Medal * 1999–2000: Iowa Children's Choice Award * 1999: Garden State Children's Book Award, (NJ) * 1998–1999: Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award * 1998–1999:

Sunshine State Young Readers Award Sunlight is a portion of the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun, in particular infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. On Earth, sunlight is scattered and filtered through Earth's atmosphere, and is obvious as daylight when the ...

, (FL) * 1998–1999: West Virginia Children's Book Award * 1998–1999: Virginia Young Reader's Book Award * 1998–1999: Sequoyah Children's Book Award, (WA) * 1998–1999: Arizona Young Readers’ Award * 1998–1999: Texas Bluebonnet Award * 1998–1999: Nebraska Golden Sower Award * 1998: Battle of the Books Reading List, (NM) * 1998: NENE Award, (HI) * 1997–1998: Kentucky Bluegrass Award * 1997–1998: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award (VT) * 1997–1998: Maine Student Book Award Listings and recommendations * 1999: Capitol Choices list, best books for ages 7–10 * 1998: Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best * 1997–1998: Indiana Read-Alouds Too Good to Miss * 1997: Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Book * 1997: Parents' Choice Honor Book * 1996: New York Public Library One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing

Other

*2004: California Young Readers Medal, ''The School Story'' *2004: American Library Association

Schneider Family Book Award The Schneider Family Book Award is an award given by the American Library Association (ALA) recognizing authors and illustrators for the excellence of portrayal of the disability experience in literature for youth. There is a category for children ...

, '' Things Not Seen'' *2007: Edgar Allan Poe Award for best juvenile book, ''Room One: A Mystery or Two''

Bibliography

For all

* * (As Andrew Elborn) ''Noah and the Ark and the Animals'', illustrated by

Ivan Gantschev Ivan Gantschev (4 January 1925 – 29 June 2014) was a Bulgarian-German illustrator and author of children's books. Ivan Gantschev was born in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. His father was a lawyer and his mother a school teacher. He attended the Acad ...

, Picture Book Studio (Saxonville, MA), 1987. *''Santa's Secret Helper'', illustrated by Deborah Santini, Picture Book Studio (Saxonville, MA), 1990. *''Temple Cat'', illustrated by Alan Marks, Picture Book Studio, 1991, illustrated by Kate Kiesler, Clarion (New York, NY), 1996. *''Mother Earth's Counting Book'', illustrated by Lonni Sue Johnson, Picture Book Studio, 1992. *''Billy and the Bad Teacher'', illustrated by Elivia Savadier, Picture Book Studio, 1992. *''Who Owns the Cow?'', illustrated by Joan Landis, Clarion (New York, NY), 1995. *''Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers'', illustrated by Kate Kiesler, Clarion (New York, NY), 1996. *''

'' (middle-grade novel), illustrated by Brian Selznick, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1996. *(Adapter)''Philipp's Birthday Book'', illustrated by Hanne Turk, North-South Books, 1996. *''Riff's BeBop Book'', Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1996. *''Real Monsters Go for the Mold!'', illustrated by Matthew Stoddart, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997. *''Things That Go EEK on Halloween'', illustrated by George Ulrich, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997. *''Real Monsters Stage Fright'', illustrated by Matthew Stoddart, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997. *''Music Time, Any Time!'', illustrated by Tom Leigh, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1997. *''Double Trouble in Walla Walla'', illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca, Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 1997. *''Workshop'', illustrated by David Wisniewski, Clarion (New York, NY), 1998. *''Gromble's Haunted Halloween'', Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998. *''Hey Dad, Could I Borrow Your Hammer?'', illustrated by Jackie Snider, Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 1999. *'' The Landry News'', (middle-grade novel), illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1999. *''Look Who's in the Thanksgiving Play!'', illustrated by Mavis Smith, Little Simon (New York, NY), 1999. *''The Mouse Family'', illustrated by Simon Galkin, Little Simon (New York, NY), 2000. *'' The Janitor's Boy'', Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000. *''Circus Family Dog'', illustrated by Sue Truesdell, Clarion (New York, NY), 2000. *''The Christmas Kitten'', illustrated by Simon Galkin, Little Simon (New York, NY), 2000. *'' The School Story'', illustrated by Brian Selznick, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001. *'' Things Not Seen'' (middle-grade novel), Philomel (New York, NY), 2002. *''

The Jacket ''The Jacket'' is a 2005 American science-fiction psychological thriller film directed by John Maybury and starring Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Kris Kristofferson and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It is partly based on the 1915 Jack London novel ''The ...

'' (originally serialized in Boston Globe), illustrated by McDavid Henderson, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002. *'' A Week in the Woods'', Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002. *''Slippers at Home'', illustrated by Janie Bynum, Dutton (New York, NY), 2004. *''Naptime for Slippers'', illustrated by Janie Bynum, Dutton (New York, NY), 2004. *'' The Report Card'', illustrated by Brian Selznick, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004. *'' The Last Holiday Concert'', Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2004. *''Slippers at School'', illustrated by Janie Bynum, Dutton (New York, NY), 2005. *''Slippers Loves to Run'', illustrated by Janie Bynum, Dutton (New York, NY), 2005. *''A Million Is a Lot of Dots'', illustrated by Rob Roth, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005. *''Lunch Money'', Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2005. *'' Things Hoped For'', Philomel Books (New York, NY), 2006 *'' Room One: A Mystery or Two'', Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2006 *'' No Talking'', Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2007 *'' Things That Are'', Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2008 *''

Lost and Found A lost and found (American English) or lost property (British English), or lost articles (also Canadian English) is an office in a public building or area where people can go to retrieve lost articles that may have been found by others. Frequen ...

'', Atheneum Books (New York, NY), 2008 *''

Extra Credit Extra credit is a way to gain points, particularly used in schools. Reasons for extra credit Teachers employ extra credit for a variety of reasons. For example, it may be felt that students who are highly capable may benefit from an additional ch ...

'', Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2009 *''Troublemaker'', Atheneum Books (New York, NY), 2011 *''About Average'', Atheneum Books , 2012 *''The Map Trap'', Atheneum Books (New York, NY), 2014 *''The Friendship War'', Random House Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 2019 Hi

''Pets to the Rescue'' series

* ''Ringo Saves the Day!: A True Story'', illustrated by Ellen Beier, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001. * ''Brave Norman: A True Story'', illustrated by Ellen Beier, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001. * ''Tara and Tiree, Fearless Friends: A True Story'', illustrated by Ellen Beier, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002. * ''Delores and the Big Fire: A True Story'', illustrated by Ellen Beier, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

''Jake Drake'' series

* ''Jake Drake Know-It-All'', illustrated by Dolores Avenaño, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001. * ''Jake Drake, Bully Buster'', illustrated by Amanda Harvey, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2001. * ''Jake Drake, Teacher's Pet'', illustrated by Dolores Avenaño, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002. * ''Jake Drake, Class Clown'', illustrated by Dolores Avenaño, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2002.

''Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School'' series

* ''We the Children'', Atheneum Books (New York, NY), 2010 * ''Fear Itself'', Atheneum Books (New York, NY), 2011 * ''The Whites of Their Eyes'', Atheneum Books (New York, NY), 2012 * ''In Harm's Way'', Atheneum Books (New York, NY), 2013 (with Adam Stower) * ''We Hold These Truths'', Atheneum Books (New York, NY), 2013

Reading program books

* ''Karen's Island'', Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995. * ''Three Wishes for Buster'', Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1995. * ''Bill Picket: An American Original'', Texas Style, Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1996. * ''Hurricane Andrew'', Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1998. * ''Ham and Eggs for Jack'', Houghton Mifflin (Boston, MA), 1998. * ''Life in the Desert'', Steck-Vaughn, 1998. * ''Desert Treasure'', illustrated by Wayne Anthony Still, Steck-Vaughn, 1998. * ''Inventors: Making Things Better'', Steck-Vaughn, 1998. * ''Milo's Great Invention'', illustrated by Johnansen Newman, Steck-Vaughn, 1998.

References

External links

* *
Andrew Clements at Fantastic Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clements, Andrew 1949 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers American children's writers National Louis University alumni Northwestern University alumni People from Baldwin, Maine People from Cherry Hill, New Jersey People from Oaklyn, New Jersey Writers from Camden, New Jersey Writers from Maine Writers from Springfield, Illinois