Clare Vanderpool (born 1965) is an American children's book author living in
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...
. Her first book, ''
Moon Over Manifest'', won the 2011
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...
, becoming the first debut author to achieve the feat in thirty years. She is also the first Kansas native to win the Newbery Medal. Vanderpool is a member of the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that acts as a network for the exchange of knowledge between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers ...
. Her book ''Navigating Early'' was named a 2014 Printz Honor Book.
Biography
Clare Vanderpool attended Blessed Sacrament elementary school, and later graduated from
Newman University in 1987. Clare decided she wanted to be a writer in the fifth grade, and realized her childhood dream at the age of 45 when her first book was published. As a young adult in the late 80s and early 90s she worked for the local Catholic diocese as Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry, where she was known as a lovable goof. She is married and lives with her husband in the College Hill neighborhood of Wichita, Kansas with their four children. She has college degrees of English and elementary education.
Works
*''
Moon Over Manifest'' (2010)
*''Navigating Early'' (2013) which earned Mathical Honors
The Watermark Books and Cafe in Wichita has hosted the book launches for both novels.
References
External links
*
NBC Learn video interviewaired 19 October 2012 as part of the Writers Speak to Kids series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanderpool, Clare
1965 births
Living people
Newbery Medal winners
American historical novelists
21st-century American novelists
21st-century American women writers
Writers from Wichita, Kansas
Newman University, Wichita alumni
American women novelists
Women historical novelists