Ilene Cooper (born March 10, 1948) is an American author and reviewer of children's books.

Early life and education

Cooper was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, where she graduated from Sullivan High School. She later attended the

Missouri School of Journalism The Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in all areas of journalism and strategic comm ...

, where she majored in radio and television. After working at WGN-TV for several years, she enrolled in

Rosary College Dominican University (DU) is a private Roman Catholic university in River Forest, Illinois, affiliated with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. It offers bachelor's and master's degrees, certificate programs, and a PhD in information studies. ...

, where she received her Master of Science in Library Science.

Career

Cooper began her career as a children's librarian at the

Winnetka Public Library Winnetka may refer to: One of the following places in the United States: * Winnetka, Los Angeles * Winnetka, Illinois * Winnetka Heights, Dallas, Texas Winnetka Heights is one of the oldest and largest historical districts in the Oak Cliff sec ...

. She is the children's books editor at the book review magazine ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

''. She has also written numerous children's books about feminism and politics. In the mid-2000s,

John Green John Michael Green (born August 24, 1977) is an American author, YouTube content creator, podcaster, and philanthropist. His books have more than 50 million copies in print worldwide, including '' The Fault in Our Stars'' (2012), which is ...

was working at ''Booklist'', where he was mentored by Cooper, when his book ''

Looking for Alaska ''Looking for Alaska'' is American author John Green‘s debut novel, published in March 2005 by Dutton Juvenile. Based on his time at Indian Springs School, Green wrote the novel as a result of his desire to create meaningful young adult fictio ...

'' won the Michael L. Printz Award. During this time, Green gave a draft copy of ''Looking for Alaska'' to Cooper, before the book was published; Cooper later recalled that after reading this draft, she thought that "He had a voice you could tell was quite original," and decided she would work with him. She has also described herself as Green's "fairy godmother". In 2002–2003, Cooper won a

National Jewish Book Award The Jewish Book Council (Hebrew: ), founded in 1944, is an organization encouraging and contributing to Jewish literature.Illinois Reading Council Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfor ...

Prairie State Award for Excellence in Writing for Children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Ilene 1948 births Living people 21st-century American women American children's writers Writers from Chicago University of Missouri alumni Rosary College alumni American librarians American women librarians