Ben Mikaelsen

Not to be confused with Ben Michaelson.

Ben Mikaelsen (born January 5, 1952) is a Bolivian American writer of children's literature.

Early life and education

Ben Mikaelsen was born on January 5, 1952, in La Paz, Bolivia, the son of missionary parents of Danish descent.^[1][2] He wasn't sent to school until fourth grade where he was bullied for his race. Mikaelsen moved to the United States with his family shortly before entering seventh grade,^[1] where he encountered further bullying because of his poor English capabilities.^[3] As a teen in Minnesota, he taught himself to swim and dive, and this led him to take flight and skydiving lessons.^[4] Mikaelsen attended USC and Bemidji State University.^[5]

Personal life

When building his home in Montana, Ben adopted an American black bear named Buffy for 26 years until the bear's death in September 2012.^[6] Ben Mikaelsen considered Buffy a "750-pound member of my family."^[7] He has been writing full-time since 1984 and lives in Anacortes, Washington with his wife, Connie. He has written a few books inspired by his bear, such as Touching Spirit Bear and the sequel Ghost of Spirit Bear. He also took a year out of high school to join a parachute team and compete around Minnesota. He goes around the country visiting schools to teach kids about his life and his experience as a victim of bullying.^{[citation needed]}

Published works

• Rescue Josh McGuire (1991)
• Sparrow Hawk Red (1993)
• Stranded (1995)
• Countdown (1996)
• Petey (1998)
• Touching Spirit Bear (2001)
• Red Midnight (2002)
• Tree Girl (2004)
• Ghost of Spirit Bear (2008)
• Jungle of Bones (2014)

Awards and honors

Mikaelson's work has won many state youth literature awards, including the California Young Reader Medal and Wyoming's Indian Paintbrush Book Award.

• 1991: Golden Spur, Juvenile Fiction, Rescue Josh McGuire^[8]
• 1992: International Reading Association Children's Book Award, Older Reader Category, Rescue Josh McGuire^[9]
• 1999: ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults, Petey^[10]
• 1999: Golden Spur, Juvenile Fiction, Petey^[8]
• 2002: ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults, Touching Spirit Bear^[10]