Ben Mikaelsen
Full name- Benjamin John Mikaelsen
DOB- December 8, 1952
POB- La Paz, Bolivia
Family Background:
- Born to Danish missionary parents John Mikaelsen, a radio engineer, and Luverne
Wold
- His family background, racial experiences at school after being bullied for being
white, and difficult relocation to the US shaped his writing
Books (Touching Spirit Bear, Petey and Rescue Josh McGuire have been turned into
movies):
- Rescue Josh McGuire (1991)
- Stranded (1995)
- Touching Spirit Bear (2001)
- Petey (1998) [Author’s favourite book]
- Jungle of Bones (2014)
Writing Style:
- His love for nature is shown in his writing
- Themes like redemption, personal growth and resilience
- His writing is straightforward yet expressive
- Writes in third person limited perspective
Awards:
- Nevada Young Reader Award
- Napra Nautilus Award for Young Adult Literature (2002)
- International Reading Association Award
- North Dakota Flicker Tale Award
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Western Writers’ Golden Spur Award
Life Story:
- Grew up in South America
- Spanish was his strongest language
- In the fourth grade, he was sent to an English boarding school
- There, he was bullied for his race and called a Gringo
- His handwriting looked like worms
- His family moved to the US when he was in seventh grade
- There, he was bullied for his limited English skills as he was very weak in English
grammar, spelling and language
- Still, he loved hiding in his cupboard, scribbling ideas on a paper
- In high school, he learnt many skills such as aeroplane flying and skydiving
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He spent some time in Minnesota as a teenager, where he learnt to swim.
He even embarked on a 1600 mile horse ride from Minnesota to Oregon
A teacher told him his handwriting was that of a fifth grader’s
Attended the University of Southern California
There, a Professor told him that out of all the students’ stories which he had read,
Ben’s was the only one that made him laugh and cry. This motivated Mikaelsen to
become a writer.
He had started writing at the age of ten but professionally at age 32, in 1984.
His first book Rescue Josh McGuire was only published in 1991.
When he moved to Bozeman, Montana, he built a long wood cabin and adopted a 750
pound black bear named Buffy. He lived for 27 years before dying on September 12,
2012
Mikaelsen enjoys training animals. In Montana, he used to train sled dogs
Currently, Mikaelsen lives in Anacortes, Washington with his wife Connie. He loves
adventure, travel and odd pets.
He has been featured on national TV
Thus, Mikaelsen realised that it was his difference that made him special
Author’s advice:
- He thinks that libraries have wonderful facts but the things that really haunt and
frighten you are found in the streets and forests.
- To be a good writer, one has to go out and live with nature. Without experiencing
nature, one cannot write about it.
- Focusing on writing mechanics rather than handwriting or grammar is the key to
becoming a good writer
- He believes parents should encourage their children to write, because his parents had
never done so.