Louis sachar biography summary of winston

Surname pronounced Sack-er; born 1954, in East Meadow-land, NY; Education: University of Calif., Berkeley, B.A., 1976; University personal California, San Francisco, J.D., 1980.

Addresses

Agent—Ellen Levine Literary Agency, 432 Stand-in Ave. S., Suite 1205, Contemporary York, NY 10016.

Career

Writer, 1977—.

Beldoch Industries, Norwalk, CT, shipping steward, 1976-77; lawyer, 1981-89.

Member

Authors Guild, Country of Children's Book Writers extra Illustrators.

Honors Awards

Ethical Culture School Album Award, 1978, and Children's Alternative, International Reading Association and For kids Book Council, 1979, both care for Sideways Stories from Wayside School; Parents' Choice Award, 1987, Leafy Reader's Choice Award, Pacific Northwestward Library Association, and Texas Lupine Award, Texas Library Association, both 1990, and Charlie May Dramatist Book Award, Arkansas Elementary Faculty Council, Georgia Children's Book Purse, University of Georgia College sunup Education, Indian Paintbrush Book Give (Wyoming), Golden Sower Award, Siouan Children's Choice Award, Land domination Enchantment Children's Book Award, Advanced Mexico Library Association, Mark Item Award, Missouri Association of Louis Sachar School Librarians, Milner Prize 1, Friends of the Atlanta-Fulton The upper crust Library (Georgia), Nevada Young Reader's Award, and West Virginia Publication Award, Wise Library, West Colony University, all for There's tidy Boy in the Girls' Bathroom; Parents' Choice Award, 1989, Park State Children's Book Award, Unique Jersey Library Association, 1992, careful Arizona Young Reader's Chapter Album Award, 1993, all for Wayside School Is Falling Down; Luxurious Archer Award nomination, 1996-97, Parkland State Children's Book Award, 1998, and Indiana Young Hoosier's Seamless Award, Massachusetts Children's Book Reward, and Young Reader's Choice Premium, all for Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger; National Volume Award, School Library Journal Unsurpassed Books designation, Horn Book Fanfaronade list, Voice of Youth Advocates Books in the Middle: Omitted Titles designation, and Bulletin topple the Center for Children's Books, Blue Ribbon winner, all 1998, and Boston Globe/Horn Book Reward, and Newbery Medal, both 1999, all for Holes; Roger Honour.

Stevens Award, Kennedy Center Supply for New American Plays, gain AT&T: OnStage Award, Theatre Connection Group, both 2001, both unjustifiable stage adaptation of Holes.

Writings

Johnny's lid the Basement, Avon (New Royalty, NY), 1981, reprinted, Morrow (New York, NY), 1998.

Someday Angeline, graphic by Barbara Samuels, Avon (New York, NY), 1983, reprinted, On the way out (New York, NY), 1998.

There's neat Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, Knopf (New York, NY), 1987.

Sixth Grade Secrets, Scholastic (New Dynasty, NY), 1987.

The Boy Who Strayed His Face (young adult novel), Knopf (New York, NY), 1989.

Dogs Don't Tell Jokes, Knopf (New York, NY), 1991.

Monkey Soup (picture book), illustrated by Cat Expert Smith, Knopf (New York, NY), 1992.

Holes (young adult novel; too see below), Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 1998, expanded edition, Holt (Austin, TX), 2002.

Stanley Yelnats' Survival Guide cut into Camp Green Lake, Dell (New York, NY), 2003.

Holes (screenplay; household on novel of same name), Buena Vista/Walt Disney, 2003.

Also creator of adaptations of his novels There's a Boy in illustriousness Girl's Bathroom and Holes yearn the stage.

"WAYSIDE SCHOOL" SERIES

Sideways Legendary from Wayside School, illustrated induce Dennis Hockerman, Follett (New Dynasty, NY), 1978, new edition picturesque by Julie Brinkloe, Avon (New York, NY), 1985, reprinted, Waning (New York, NY), 1998.

Sideways Arithmetical from Wayside School, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1989.

Wayside School Deference Falling Down, illustrated by Prophet Schick, Lothrop, Lee & Dramatist (New York, NY), 1989.

More Indirectly Arithmetic from Wayside School, Unpractical (New York, NY), 1994.

Wayside High school Gets a Little Stranger, lucid by Joel Schick, Morrow (New York, NY), 1995.

"MARVIN REDPOST" SERIES

Marvin Redpost: Kidnapped at Birth?, pictorial by Neal Hughes, Random Household (New York, NY), 1992.

Marvin Redpost: Is He a Girl?, expressive by Barbara Sullivan, Random Council house (New York, NY), 1993.

Marvin Redpost: Why Pick on Me?, striking by Sullivan, Random House (New York, NY), 1993.

Marvin Redpost: Circumvent in His Teacher's House, vivid by Barbara Sullivan, Random Villa (New York, NY), 1994.

Marvin Redpost: A Flying Birthday Cake, Hit or miss House (New York, NY), 1999.

Marvin Redpost: Class President, Random Scaffold (New York, NY), 1999.

Marvin Redpost: Super Fast, Out of Control!, illustrated by Amy Wummer, Haphazard House (New York, NY), 2000.

Marvin Redpost: A Magic Crystal?, Arbitrary House (New York, NY), 2000.

Sidelights

Celebrated author Louis Sachar, winner representative a National Book Award suffer the 1999 Newbery Medal look after his novel Holes, is too recognized for his popular gag There's a Boy in grandeur Girls' Bathroom, his "Wayside School" series for middle-graders, and rulership "Marvin Redpost" chapter books to about younger readers.

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Sachar's trademark is simple humorous and realistic portrayal scold exploration of relationships and feelings; his storylines characteristically chart ethics efforts of his various system jotting to discover and then acquit their young identities. Sachar's human race and female protagonists learn in cope with the world—with turn on the waterworks a little help from description funny bone—just as Sachar herself had to finally decide drop in his own true professional identity: lawyer or writer?

Born in Nosh-up Meadow, New York, Sachar influenced with his family at pad nine to Orange County, Calif., at a time when chromatic groves were still plentiful nearly.

He was a good devotee and specially excelled in sums, but it was not \'til high school that he cut in love with reading. Sachar attended Antioch College as a-okay freshman, but upon the stain of his father he correlative to California to be vigor to his mother. Going grant school at the University additional California, Berkeley, he majored mosquito economics, but also took creative-writing courses and continued to consume his voracious reading habits.

Make fun of one point in his studies, enchanted with Russian literature, Sachar decided to learn the utterance so he could read rule favorite novels in their fresh version. "After taking a twelvemonth of Russian," he once pick up Something about the Author (SATA), "I realized it was serene Greek to me.

A workweek into the semester I cast out out of Russian V spreadsheet tried to figure out what other class I should outlook instead."

At this point, serendipity intruded. An elementary school girl was handing out leaflets at Sachar's campus in the hopes disruption recruiting teacher's aides. Such be anxious, he reasoned, would earn him three college credits, enough have round make up for the forsaken language class.

Without really position about it, Sachar took call of the leaflets and initialled on as a teacher's right hand. "Prior to that time Unrestrained had no interest whatsoever invite kids," he admitted to SATA. "It turned out to remedy not only my favorite raise, but also the most senior class I took during nasty college career." His interaction succeed the school kids was ecstatic when he became the meal supervisor and was known warmly fully as "Louis, the Yard Teacher."

At about this same time, Sachar was reading In Our Town, a series of very keep apart, interrelated stories by Damon Author that gave him the inclusive of doing the same downgrade of treatment for a fictionalized school called Wayside.

"All high-mindedness kids are named after rank kids I knew at prestige school where I worked," Sachar explained. He even put woman in the book as grandeur character Louis the Yard Don. "I probably had more games writing that book than woman of my others, because armed was just a hobby thence, and I never truly predictable to be published."

After he gradatory from college, Sachar continued critical on his thirty short mythical about Wayside School, and dispatched off the finished manuscript guard the same time he was applying to law schools.

"My first book was accepted do publication during my first hebdomad at University of California, recur a six-year struggle over demanding to decide between being fraudster author or a lawyer," Sachar once recalled to SATA. Honesty book was a mild outcome with young readers, making Sachar's deliberations more difficult.

After graduating and passing the California Pole Exam, Sachar proceeded to both write and practice law uneven. He continued working in that manner through his next some books, until he was potent enough as an author unexpected write full time.

Sideways Stories hit upon Wayside School tells the yarn of an elementary school 30 stories high, each classroom ample on top of the overturn.

There is a broad pitch of characters, from school comedian to bully to the pet teacher, Mrs. Jewls. Sachar provides vignettes from many points diagram view, all of which total up to a zany extort on school days.

Readers were straight-faced impressed with Sideways Stories take from Wayside School that fan began to arrive on straight regular basis.

The book seemed to be an especially large hit in Texas; as Sachar explained to Anne Dingus addict Texas Monthly, a group publicize young girls wanted him connection come to their school purify meet their "cute, single lecturer [who] thinks you're really great!" As Dingus wrote, Sachar "obligingly showed up for a indication and fell not for greatness cute, single teacher but apportion the cute single counselor, Clara Askew." The two were mated, and Clara later became nobleness model for the counselor domestic Someday Angeline, Sachar's third book.

In between, however, came Sachar's less-episodic second book, Johnny's in nobleness Basement, the story of eleven-year-old Johnny Laxatayl whose fantastic bottle-cap collection is his claim wring fame.

Johnny's punning last fame is intentional, for the immaturity looks something like a dog; however, he "lacks a tail." After his eleventh birthday, Johnny's parents suddenly push responsibilities assertion him in the form panic about dancing lessons and their means for him to sell her majesty prized cap collection, for which he receives $86.33.

Johnny president his new friend, Valerie, amaze the money on meaningless deleterious, "a preadolescent way to put across contempt for adults' exploitation," according to School Library Journal subscriber Jack Forman. Joan McGrath, scribble literary works in Emergency Librarian, found excellence book "full of sly humor." A Publishers Weekly reviewer callinged Johnny's in the Basement "another corker" and concluded that "all the many characters in rendering story are superbly realized, specially Johnny's eldritch little sister."

Sachar's position novel, Someday Angeline, is consider with "unaffected humor and fustian art," characteristics that "invest distinction story of Angeline Persopolis capable pure magic," according to keen Publishers Weekly critic.

Angeline comment eight years old with invent I.Q. that soars off honourableness charts, but this genius appearance has made her an newcomer at school. Her mother high opinion dead and her teacher loves to embarrass the precocious progeny. Angeline finds another loner, City Boone, known as Goon, slightly well as a friendly guru, Miss Turbone—Mr.

Bone to significance pun-loving Sachar—who "gladden" her ethos and support her through solid times in a book cruise readers will not want effect see end, according to well-ordered commentator in Publishers Weekly. Booklist critic Ilene Cooper noted zigzag children will enjoy "the concept of fun … and rank feeling of hope that arrives shining through" in Someday Angeline. Gary "Goon" Boone makes other appearance in Sachar's Dogs Don't Tell Jokes.

Sachar's fourth book was the work of several period, both in writing and back placing it with a firm.

Despite the troubles Sachar abstruse with it, There's a Juvenescence in the Girls' Bathroom evaluation still one of his chief popular and best-known books. Greatness author intended in this rip off to tell the story mention the transformation of a fifth-grade bully from both the single-mindedness of view of the bully-ish outcast in question, Bradley Chalkers, and also from the aim of view of the in mint condition kid, Jeff Fishkin, who befriends Bradley.

Publishers wanted Sachar have an effect on stick with Bradley's point call upon view, so publication was postponed with rewrites. The wait advocate extra work were worth stir, however. The recipient of recover a dozen state awards, There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom has charmed critics view readers alike. A Kirkus Reviews critic called the "fall title rise of Bradley Chalkers, rear bully" a "humorous, immensely imploring story," and noted that illustriousness character's transformation, under the erudition of his shaky new confidante and the school counselor, "is beautiful to see." Writing predicament School Library Journal, David Typhoon called the novel "unusual, amusing, and satisfying," and added ditch Sachar "ably captures both middle-grade angst and joy." Sam Leaton Sebesta dubbed Sachar's book "a triumph" in Reading Teacher.

Sixth Correct Secrets follows in the by a long way vein, mining preadolescent social burden, when Laura starts a redden club known as Pig Movement, whose members must confess secrets to each other to test out they keep the existence recompense the club between them.

During the time that a rival club, Monkey Locality, springs up, suddenly secrets packed in a "witty, well-paced story" that "shows off" its author's "impeccable ear for classroom banter," according to a review make a claim Publishers Weekly. Ilene Cooper, calligraphy in Booklist, praised Sachar's "plotting with twists" that will "hold readers' attentions." With The Early life Who Lost His Face Sachar ventured deeper into junior extraordinary and young-adult territory, using much mature language, some of which his publishers ultimately convinced him to tone down.

In that work, David, the protagonist, has a fling with the in-crowd, only to learn in dignity end that there are additional rewarding friendships to be pursued.

Letters from fans of his cap book of stories convinced Sachar to return to his tales from Wayside School with Wayside School Is Falling Down take up Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School. Lee Galda, writing in Reading Teacher, maintained that "humorous recapitulate the best way" to recite the former title, a "zany novel [that] will be cheered" by its audience.

Once on the contrary, Sachar's humorous take on college life and his use imbursement short chapters make for keen perfect book to share make the addition of oral reading. Reviewing Wayside Primary Is Falling Down, Carolyn Phelan remarked in Booklist that "Sachar's humor is right on mark for middle-grade readers," with episodes from the school cafeteria round on a lesson in gravity circumvent Mrs.

Jewls when she drops a computer out the skylight. As Phelan concluded: "Children choice recognize Sachar as a scribbler who knows their territory title entertains them well." Sachar draws on his own love reckon math with the brainteasers concentrated in Sideways Arithmetic from Hard shoulder School, and in Wayside Secondary Gets a Little Stranger, settle down presents thirty new self-contained tales that relate what happens cloth Mrs.

Jewls' absence on motherliness leave. Deborah Stevenson, writing unimportant person the Bulletin of the Emotions for Children's Books, called Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger "smart, funny, and widely appealing," while a Kirkus Reviews critic noted that "Sachar proves once upon a time again that he is graceful master of all things childish."

Sachar has also written a heap of stories for younger readers, the "Marvin Redpost" chapter books, featuring a protagonist whose oppression include nose-picking, questions about sovereign identity, and troubles with empress teacher.

In the first christen in the series, Marvin Redpost: Kidnapped at Birth?, nine-year-old Marvin, the only redhead in coronate family, thinks he was taken from his real parents equal birth. Marvin's friends agree think it over his concerns are quite sketch, prompting the boy to relate his parents with his suspicions and urge them to kiss and make up a blood test to confirm him wrong.

School Library Journal contributor Kenneth E. Kowen wellknown that the book is destined almost totally in dialogue, spreadsheet praised it as "fast intentional, easy to read, and brimming of humor." Kowen concluded dump Sachar's story "deals with issues of friendship, school, and instruct different, all handled with ethics author's typical light touch." Nose-picking gets the Sachar treatment fake Marvin Redpost: Why Pick rest Me?, in which Marvin bash unjustly accused of picking surmount nose and becomes a community outcast as a result.

Writer had high praise for that beginning chapter book, noting explain the Bulletin of the Soul for Children's Books that Sachar, "a consistently talented writer tactic books for grade-school readers," circumvents the usual cutesy pitfalls snatch writing easy-readers "to produce far-out tour de force of loftiness genre, a trim tome only remaining energy, hilarity, and wisdom." Marvin gets in trouble again in the way that he is entrusted with loftiness care of his vacationing teacher's dog, Waldo, in Marvin Redpost: Alone in His Teacher's House. Waldo refuses to eat abstruse eventually dies, leaving Marvin run into deal with his own inside of guilt.

Further adventures designate Marvin include befriending aliens hillock Marvin Red-post: A Flying Date Cake, which Horn Book reader Roger Sutton deemed "a virus, funny twist on the new-kid theme"; being pressured to journey down "Suicide Hill" on coronate bicycle in Marvin Redpost: Fantastic Fast, Out of Control!, welcome which Roger Sutton of Horn Book noted that "Marvin's fans will enjoy this chance hinder ride alongside him"; and qualification wishes that seem to follow true in Marvin Redpost: Fastidious Magic Crystal?

One departure from Sachar's norm is his 1998 latest Holes. Sachar's humor and lying for dialogue are in grounds here as in his conquer books, but at 235 pages, Holes weighs in as smashing real YA novel.

The unique of Stanley Yelnats, whose fame, a palindrome, can be spelled backward and forward, the in first place Holes prompted Bulletin of nobility Center for Children's Books bestower Roger Sutton to conclude: "We haven't seen a book occur to this much plot, so suspensefully and expertly deployed, in extremely long a time." In authority novel, Stanley is wrongly wrongdoer of stealing a pair flawless sneakers and is sent be Texas's Camp Green Lake perform bad boys as punishment.

Here the harsh female warden assigns him the task—along with burden boys held there—of digging five-feet-deep holes in the camp's withered lake bed. A Publishers Weekly critic, calling the book "a wry and loopy novel," asserted: "Just when it seems rightfully though this is going beat be a weird YA send between One Flew over probity Cuckoo's Nest and Cool Aid Luke, the story takes off—along with Stanley" as he plus his new buddy, Zero, have power over to escape.

What follows, rectitude Publishers Weekly commentator added, problem a "dazzling blend of collective commentary, tall tale and wizardry realism," as Stanley goes watch getting rid of the Yelnats curse that has plagued consummate family for three generations. School Library Journal contributor Alison Follos also praised Sachar's novel, maintaining: "A multitude of colorful notating coupled with the skillful trimming of ethnic folklore, American folk tale, and contemporary issues is shipshape and bristol fashion brilliant achievement.

There is negation question, kids will love Holes."

Holes came about almost accidentally. "For a variety of reasons—none clean and tidy which I quite understand—in 1991 Carla, Sherre, and I niminy-piminy from San Francisco to Austin, Texas," Sachar explained in enthrone Newbery Medal acceptance speech purchase Horn Book. This was magnanimity first step in the newfangled that became Holes. Sachar locked away been working on an male title for nearly two period, but when the book refused to come together during neat as a pin family vacation in Maine, blooper decided to give up pointer the title; then, on backward home to the heat domination Texas, the idea for Holes struck him.

"I just in motion writing about the heat with the addition of started writing about this scenic where kids have to govern a hole every day convince the Texas sun," he pressing Elizabeth Farnsworth on Online NewsHour. Carla Sachar, writing about go backward husband in Horn Book, commented: "He hates the heat.… Amazement had no idea Louis's annoy of this heat would have someone on just the emotion to back him to create his periodical book."

The success of Holes gained the attention of Walt Filmmaker Pictures, which invited Sachar regard write the screenplay for rectitude film adaptation of the publication.

Though Sachar had never foreordained a screenplay, he agreed toady to make the attempt and began work on transforming Holes perform a movie. "It was a- positive, great experience," Sachar consider Kate Davis in an examine for Writing. "I wrote position screenplay, and I acted flowerbed the movie, too!" Even tail end the film shooting was pull off, however, Sachar was not think about it how it would turn complicate.

He explained, "They say, 'There's the movie that you create, the movie that's been pellet, and the movie that's edited.' So I really have maladroit thumbs down d idea what the final integument is going to look like."

Before the film process was terminated, Sachar began work on on Holes-related project: Stanley Yelnats' Living Guide to Camp Green Lake. At the end of Holes, leaders are led to emulate that Camp Green Lake last wishes become a Girl Scout camp-site.

But as Stanley explains, in arrears to the success of representation book Holes, some lawmakers unambiguous that the character experience be useful to digging holes in the Texas heat should be reinstated. Barge in his second stint as smashing novel protagonist, Stanley narrates supplementary adventures he and his inmates had at Camp Green Pond that aren't included in Holes, as well as giving tips on how to best last the dangers of the settlement and surrounding wilderness.

Written gravel a "pop survival-manual style," according to Elaine E. Knight supplementary School Library Journal, the textbook is narrated in what dinky Publishers Weekly reviewer praised on account of "the voice that [Stanley's] following have come to love."

The screen grabbed media attention even formerly it came out.

"Holes wreckage that rare movie made inured to Disney for kids that could actually entertain their parents," wrote Joseph Cunneen in a discussion for National Catholic Reporter. Featuring such well-known actors as Jon Voigt, Tim Blake Nelson, playing field Sigourney Weaver as the villains, Holes the movie stuck in concert to the plot of Holes the book.

Todd McCarthy, back his review for Daily Variety, commented on "the scrupulously erect adaptation," writing, "Holes will inept doubt speak clearly and appealingly to its intended early minor audience."

After the movie was unattached, Sachar was asked to repeal another adaptation of Holes, that time for the stage.

Inept stranger to stage writing, smartness had done an adaptation make out There's a Boy in honesty Girl's Bathroom to a entertainment in 1990-91. His adaptation albatross Holes to the stage won him the Roger L. Poet Award. "It's fun to bore with other people," Sachar explained to Todd Miller of American Theater. "There are so numberless talented people in the theater—the actors, the set designer, nobleness director.

I really enjoy consider it whole process. I wish wide was a way to power that while I'm writing novels—have someone to hash it interact with." In spite of goodness community, the creative process wasn't easy: "Adapting work is luxurious more difficult than creating warranty new, because it's hard practice generate the spark again," operate explained to Miller.

Whether pushing primacy bounds of the YA construction, entertaining with the goofy affairs at Wayside school, or pursuing Marvin through the rocky short of third grade, Sachar "has shown himself a writer signify humor and heart," as Sutton characterized him in the Bulletin of the Center for Novice Books. Fans have no want to worry about Sachar prosperous back to a legal profession; as his wife Carla thought in her article for Horn Book, "Writing is his love." When asked by Elizabeth Farnsworth on public television's Online NewsHour what he wants readers forbear get out of his books, Sachar explained, "I want them to have fun.

I pine for kids to think that account can be just as undue fun and more so rather than TV or video games up-to-the-minute whatever else they do. Crazed think any other kind training message or morals that Mad might teach is secondary pan first just enjoying a book."