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Born:
March
20, 1954
- East
Meadow,
New York
- United
States
of
America.
Current
Home:
Austin,
Texas -
United
States
of
America. |
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Childhood
Memories
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As
writer
of books
for
elementary
school
students,
Louis
Sachar
tries to
recall
what it
felt
like for
him to
be that
age.
Despite
the
notion
that
times
have
changed,
he
thinks
that
kids in
grade
school
are
basically
the same
as they
were
when he
was
young.
For
example,
in East
Meadow,
New York,
where
Sachar
was born,
he
remembers
having
to keep
away
from the
woods
across
the
street
to avoid
the
older,
tough
kids who
played
there.
Looking
back now,
he
thinks
those
tough
kids
were
probably
only
eleven
or
twelve
years
old!
When
Sachar
turned
nine,
his
family
moved to
Orange
County
in
California,
which,
at the
time,
was
mostly
orange
groves.
He cut
through
the
orange
groves
on the
way to
school,
and had
orange
fights
on the
way
home. |
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The Path
to
Becoming
an
Author
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It
wasn't
until
high
school
that
Sachar
began to
love
reading.
In
college,
he
developed
a
particular
interest
in
Russian
literature
and
somehow
got the
ridiculous
ambitious
notion
to learn
the
language
and read
his
favorite
Russian
authors
in the
original
language.
After
taking
over a
year of
Russian,
he
realized
it was
still
Greek to
him.
Sachar
dropped
out of
Russian
class
and
tried to
figure
out what
class he
should
take
instead.
As he
wandered
across
the
campus,
he saw
an
elementary
school
girl
handing
out
pieces
of paper.
He took
one from
her. It
read: 'Help.
We need
teachers'
aides at
our
school.
Earn
three
units of
credit'.
Prior to
that
time,
Sachar
had no
interest
whatsoever
in kids.
However,
he
signed
up to be
a
teacher's
aide
because
he
needed
to take
something
other
than
Russian,
and it
sounded
easy. It
turned
out to
be not
only his
favorite
class,
but also
the most
important
class
Sachar
took
during
his
college
career.
After he
was at
the
school
for a
while,
he was
asked to
be the 'Noon
Time
Supervisor.'
It was
his job
to watch
over the
kids
during
lunch.
Sachar
played
games
with the
kids who
all
called
him
'Louis,
the Yard
Teacher.'
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The
Story
Behind
Sideways
Stories
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Around
that
time
Sachar
came
upon In
Our Town
by Damon
Runyon,
a book
of very
short
stories
about
different
characters
in a
town. It
gave him
the idea
for
Sideways
Stories
from
Wayside
School,
which is
a book
of short
stories
about
different
kids in
a school.
All the
kids are
named
after
kids he
knew at
the
school
where he
worked.
'Louis
the Yard
Teacher,'
is also
a
character.
Sachar
says he
had more
fun
writing
that
book
than any
of his
others,
because
it was
just a
hobby
then,
and he
never
truly
expected
to be
published. |
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A Career
Choice
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Sideways
Stories
from
Wayside
School
was
published
just as
Sachar
began
law
school.
For six
years he
struggled
over
trying
to
decide
between
being an
author
or a
lawyer.
During
the time
that he
finished
law
school
and took
a job as
a lawyer,
Sachar
wrote
three
more
children's
books.
His
decision
had been
made.
Sachar
has been
an
attorney
since
1981,
but has
chosen
to
devote
his time
to
writing
children's
books. |
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Awards
and
Honors
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Louis
Sachar's
books
have
earned
him many
prestigious
awards
and
honors.
Holes
has won
the
following:
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-
National
Book
Award.
-
New
York
Times
Book
Review
Notable
Children's
Book
of
the
Year.
-
New
York
Times
Outstanding
Book
of
the
Year.
-
School
Library
Journal
Best
Book
of
the
Year.
-
Horn
Book
Fanfare
Honor
List.
-
Bulletin
Blue
Ribbon
Book.
-
Publishers
Weekly
Best
Book
of
the
Year.
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Sachar's
other
books
have won
these
awards:
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-
Children's
Choice
from
the
International
Reading
Association
(1979)
and
Children's
Book
Council
(1979),
Sideways
Stories
at
Wayside
School.
-
1987
Parents'
Choice
Award.
-
1990
Young
Reader's
Choice
Award,
There's
a
Boy
in
the
Girls'
Bathroom.
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BOOKS &
COLLECTIONS
BY THIS
AUTHOR |
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| HOLES |
THERE'S A BOY IN THE
GIRL'S BATHROOM |
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| MARVIN REDPOST SERIES |
SIXTH GRADE SECRETS |
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