Andrew Clements


Andrew Elborn Clements was an American author of children's literature. His debut novel Frindle won an award determined by the vote of U.S. schoolchildren in about 20 different U.S. states. In June 2015, Frindle was named the Phoenix Award winner for 2016, as it was deemed the best book that did not win a major award when it was published.

Life

Clements was born in Camden, New Jersey, and lived in nearby Oaklyn and Cherry Hill before moving to Springfield, Illinois as a pre-teen. As a child, he enjoyed summers at a lakeside cabin in Maine where he spent his days swimming, hiking, water skiing, and his evenings reading books. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Northwestern University and a Masters of Arts in Elementary Education from National Louis University, he worked as a teacher, sharing his love of reading with elementary, middle, and high school students.
He worked for several publishing companies where he published, acquired, edited, marketed, and developed quality children's books. In 1985, Clements added his own work to the market with a picture book entitled Bird Delbert. His first novel was the award-winning Frindle, which has won 16 state book awards, as well as the Christopher Award.
Clements was married to the former Rebecca Pierpont, and they had four sons. He died at his home in Baldwin, Maine, on November 28, 2019, at age 70 from an undisclosed illness.

Awards

The Children's Literature Association named Frindle the best English-language children's book published in 1996 that did not win a major contemporary book award, thus making it the winner of the Phoenix Award for 2016.

Contemporary Awards

  • 2001: Utah Children's Choice Award
  • 1999–2000: Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
  • 1999: Texas Children's Crown Award
  • 1999: Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice,
  • 1999: South Dakota Prairie Pasque Award
  • 1999: Sasquatch Children's Book Award,
  • 1999: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award,
  • 1998–1999: Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 4–6
  • 1998–1999: Young Hoosier Book Award,
  • 1998–1999: North Carolina Children's Choice Award
  • 1998–1999: Nevada Young Readers' Award
  • 1998–1999: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award,
  • 1998–1999: Maud Hart Lovelace Award, MN Youth Reading Award
  • 1998–1999: Georgia Children's Book Award
  • 1998–1999: William Allen White Children's Book Award,
  • 1998–1999: Massachusetts Children's Book Award
  • 1998: Prize Cento, Cento, Italy
  • 1998: Rhode Island Children's Book Award
  • 1997–1998: Great Stone Face Book Award,
  • 1997: Judy Lopez Memorial Honor Book Award
  • 1997: Christopher Award
  • 1998–1999 Georgia children's book award

    Listings and recommendations

  • 1999: Capitol Choices list, best books for ages 7–10
  • 1998: Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best
  • 1997–1998: Indiana Read-Alouds Too Good to Miss
  • 1997: Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Book
  • 1997: Parents' Choice Honor Book
  • 1996: New York Public Library One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing

    Other

  • 2004: California Young Readers Medal, The School Story
  • 2004: American Library Association Schneider Family Book Award, Things Not Seen
  • 2007: Edgar Allan Poe Award for best juvenile book, Room One: A Mystery or Two
  • 2015: Phoenix Award for ''Frindle''

    For all

  • Noah and the Ark and the Animals, illustrated by Ivan Gantschev, Picture Book Studio, 1987.
  • Santa's Secret Helper, illustrated by Deborah Santini, Picture Book Studio, 1990.
  • Temple Cat, illustrated by Alan Marks, Picture Book Studio, 1991, illustrated by Kate Kiesler, Clarion, 1996.
  • Mother Earth's Counting Book, illustrated by Lonni Sue Johnson, Picture Book Studio, 1992.
  • Billy and the Bad Teacher, illustrated by Elivia Savadier, Picture Book Studio, 1992.
  • Who Owns the Cow?, illustrated by Joan Landis, Clarion, 1995.
  • Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers, illustrated by Kate Kiesler, Clarion, 1996.
  • Frindle, illustrated by Brian Selznick, Simon & Schuster, 1996.
  • Philipp's Birthday Book, illustrated by Hanne Turk, North-South Books, 1996.
  • Riff's BeBop Book, Simon & Schuster, 1996.
  • Real Monsters Go for the Mold!, illustrated by Matthew Stoddart, Simon & Schuster, 1997.
  • Things That Go EEK on Halloween, illustrated by George Ulrich, Simon & Schuster, 1997.
  • Real Monsters Stage Fright, illustrated by Matthew Stoddart, Simon & Schuster, 1997.
  • Music Time, Any Time!, illustrated by Tom Leigh, Simon & Schuster, 1997.
  • Double Trouble in Walla Walla, illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca, Millbrook Press, 1997.
  • Workshop, illustrated by David Wisniewski, Clarion, 1998.
  • Gromble's Haunted Halloween, Simon & Schuster, 1998.
  • Hey Dad, Could I Borrow Your Hammer?, illustrated by Jackie Snider, Millbrook Press, 1999.
  • The Landry News,, illustrated by Salvatore Murdocca, Simon & Schuster, 1999.
  • Look Who's in the Thanksgiving Play!, illustrated by Mavis Smith, Little Simon, 1999.
  • The Mouse Family, illustrated by Simon Galkin, Little Simon, 2000.
  • The Janitor's Boy, Simon & Schuster, 2000.
  • Circus Family Dog, illustrated by Sue Truesdell, Clarion, 2000.
  • The Christmas Kitten, illustrated by Simon Galkin, Little Simon, 2000.
  • The School Story, illustrated by Brian Selznick, Simon & Schuster, 2001.
  • Things Not Seen, Philomel, 2002.
  • The Jacket, illustrated by McDavid Henderson, Simon & Schuster, 2002.
  • A Week in the Woods, Simon & Schuster, 2002.
  • Slippers at Home, illustrated by Janie Bynum, Dutton, 2004.
  • Naptime for Slippers, illustrated by Janie Bynum, Dutton, 2004.
  • The Report Card, illustrated by Brian Selznick, Simon & Schuster, 2004.
  • The Last Holiday Concert, Simon & Schuster, 2004.
  • Slippers at School, illustrated by Janie Bynum, Dutton, 2005.
  • Slippers Loves to Run, illustrated by Janie Bynum, Dutton, 2005.
  • A Million Is a Lot of Dots, illustrated by Rob Roth, Simon & Schuster, 2005.
  • Lunch Money, Simon & Schuster, 2005.
  • Things Hoped For, Philomel Books, 2006
  • Room One: A Mystery or Two, Simon & Schuster, 2006
  • No Talking, Simon & Schuster, 2007
  • Things That Are, Simon & Schuster, 2008
  • Lost and Found, Atheneum Books, 2008
  • Extra Credit, Simon & Schuster, 2009
  • Troublemaker, Atheneum Books, 2011
  • About Average, Atheneum Books, 2012
  • The Map Trap, Atheneum Books, 2014
  • The Losers Club, Random House Books for Young Readers, 2017
  • The Friendship War, Random House Books for Young Readers, 2019
  • The Frindle Files, Random House Books for Young Readers, 2024

    ''Pets to the Rescue'' series

  • Ringo Saves the Day!: A True Story, illustrated by Ellen Beier, Simon & Schuster, 2001.
  • Brave Norman: A True Story, illustrated by Ellen Beier, Simon & Schuster, 2001.
  • Tara and Tiree, Fearless Friends: A True Story, illustrated by Ellen Beier, Simon & Schuster, 2002.
  • Delores and the Big Fire: A True Story, illustrated by Ellen Beier, Simon & Schuster, 2002.

    ''Jake Drake'' series

  • Jake Drake Know-It-All, illustrated by Dolores Avenaño, Simon & Schuster, 2001.
  • Jake Drake, Bully Buster, illustrated by Amanda Harvey, Simon & Schuster, 2001.
  • Jake Drake, Teacher's Pet, illustrated by Dolores Avenaño, Simon & Schuster, 2002.
  • Jake Drake, Class Clown, illustrated by Dolores Avenaño, Simon & Schuster, 2002.

    ''Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School'' series

  • We the Children, Atheneum Books, 2010
  • Fear Itself, Atheneum Books, 2011
  • The Whites of Their Eyes, Atheneum Books, 2012
  • In Harm's Way, Atheneum Books, 2013
  • We Hold These Truths, Atheneum Books, 2013

    Reading program books

  • Karen's Island, Houghton Mifflin, 1995.
  • Three Wishes for Buster, Houghton Mifflin, 1995.
  • Bill Picket: An American Original, Texas Style, Houghton Mifflin, 1996.
  • Hurricane Andrew, Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
  • Ham and Eggs for Jack, Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
  • Life in the Desert, Steck-Vaughn, 1998.
  • Desert Treasure, illustrated by Wayne Anthony Still, Steck-Vaughn, 1998.
  • Inventors: Making Things Better, Steck-Vaughn, 1998.
  • Milo's Great Invention, illustrated by Johnansen Newman, Steck-Vaughn, 1998.