Jennifer L. Holm

Author profile

born

The United States

gender

female

website

http://www.jenniferholm.com/

genre

Children's Books, Historical Fiction, Literature & Fiction

About this author

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When I was a kid, I liked to read. A lot.
One of our neighbors said recently that his clearest memory of me as a child was watching me rake the lawn one-handed while I read a book with the other! In fact, the highlight of a particular summer vacation was not, for me, going on the water slide at an amusement park, but rather stopping at a bookstore with a great kid's section and discovering-gasp!-that my favorite author, Lloyd Alexander, had written four more books.
I was born in California across from a zoo and then we lived on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound, and then moved again to Audubon, Pennsylvania where I spent most of my childhood. My dad was a pediatrician, and my mom a pediatric nurse. We had a dog named Ruffy who had...moreWhen I was a kid, I liked to read. A lot.
One of our neighbors said recently that his clearest memory of me as a child was watching me rake the lawn one-handed while I read a book with the other! In fact, the highlight of a particular summer vacation was not, for me, going on the water slide at an amusement park, but rather stopping at a bookstore with a great kid's section and discovering-gasp!-that my favorite author, Lloyd Alexander, had written four more books.
I was born in California across from a zoo and then we lived on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound, and then moved again to Audubon, Pennsylvania where I spent most of my childhood. My dad was a pediatrician, and my mom a pediatric nurse. We had a dog named Ruffy who had a bad habit of chasing skunks and a hamster named Sneaker who liked to curl up in my hair and fall asleep (he was a very mellow hamster).
But my childhood was marked by something else-boys. Specifically, brothers. I had a pack of them. Four to be exact, and I liked to do everything they did-softball, kickball, climbing trees, spitting contests, swimming in the creek, you name it. I guess it left a lasting impression. Even my husband admits that it takes me less time to get ready in the bathroom than him!
My childhood has always been my main source of inspiration for my writing. You can see glimpses of it in my book THE CREEK, and also in OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA. Another big influence during these years were comic books and cartoon strips. My brothers and I would fight over the big color funny section of the Sunday newspaper. I still love comic books and graphic novels and I think reading them has helped make me a better writer.
I attended Audubon elementary School where I had a wonderful librarian named Mrs. Ellenburg. After surviving middle school (barely), I attended Methacton High School. In high school I did lots of different things-I was in the marching band, I was on the debate team, and I played lacrosse. So I guess you could say I was hard to pigeonhole. I graduated and went to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and that's where I really started writing.
After I graduated from college, I moved to New York City where I became a broadcast producer of television commercials and music videos for clients like Nickelodeon and MTV and American Express and Hershey's and even Huggies (yes-baby wipes!) I enjoyed working in television but I had always wanted to be a writer. My father's stories of the family farm in Naselle, Washington intrigued me and so when a family member sent me a photocopy of a diary kept by my great aunt, Alice Amelia Holm, when she was a young girl, I got the spark. May Amelia and the Jackson family were born. I was incredibly fortunate to receive a Newbery Honor for my first novel, OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, and that allowed me to eventually become a full-time writer. My books have been translated into several languages and The Seattle Children's Theatre staged OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA in 2002.
I'm trying to stay out of trouble these days. I still prefer reading to amusement parks, and on occasion, I rake the lawn while reading a book. Although I confess I don't seem to get many leaves up that way. I now split my time between writing and taking care of my son, Will. My husband, Jonathan Hamel, and I recently collaborated on a series called THE STINK FILES about a British international cat of mystery. We all live in Northeastern United States with one slightly stinky cat named Princess Leia Organa.(less)

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Books by Jennifer L. Holm

Average rating: 3.97 · 15,456 ratings · 2,811 reviews · 42 distinct works

	Turtle In Paradise 3.89 avg rating — 1,971 ratings — published 2010 — 7 editions	My rating:
	Babymouse: Queen of the World! (Babymouse, #1) by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm 3.94 avg rating — 1,539 ratings — 9 editions	My rating:
	Penny from Heaven 3.96 avg rating — 1,637 ratings — published 2006 — 15 editions	My rating:
	Our Only May Amelia 3.82 avg rating — 1,557 ratings — published 1999 — 16 editions	My rating:
	Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff 3.79 avg rating — 900 ratings — published 2007 — 4 editions	My rating:
	Boston Jane: An Adventure 3.95 avg rating — 925 ratings — 18 editions	My rating:
	Babymouse: Our Hero by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm 4.00 avg rating — 566 ratings — 8 editions	My rating:
	Babymouse: Beach Babe by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm 4.09 avg rating — 492 ratings — published 2006 — 8 editions	My rating:
	Babymouse: Rock Star by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm 4.10 avg rating — 475 ratings — published 2006 — 8 editions	My rating:
	Boston Jane: Wilderness Days 4.08 avg rating — 481 ratings — published 2002 — 6 editions	My rating:

More books by Jennifer L. Holm…

Series by Jennifer L. Holm

Babymouse (15 books)
by Jennifer L. Holm, Matthew Holm

4.06 avg rating — 6,382 ratings

Boston Jane (3 books)
by Jennifer L. Holm

4.00 avg rating — 1,857 ratings

May Amelia (2 books)
by Jennifer L. Holm

3.84 avg rating — 1,914 ratings

Squish (3 books)
by Jennifer L. Holm, Matt Holm

3.76 avg rating — 414 ratings

Upcoming Events

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Quotes by Jennifer L. Holm

“Almost dying is awfully easy. It's the living that's hard.”
― Jennifer L. Holm

11 people liked it

“My idea of Heaven has nothing to do with fluffy clouds or angels. In my Heaven there's butter pecan ice cream and swimming pools and baseball games. The Brooklyn Dodgers always win, and I have the best seat in the house, right behind the Dodger's dugout. That's the only advantage that I can see about being dead: You get the best seat in the house. ”
― Jennifer L. Holm

tags: 1953 , fun , penny-from-heaven

9 people liked it

“Everyone things children are sweet as Necco Wafers, but I've lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten. The only difference between grown-ups and kids is that grown-ups go to jail for murder. Kids get away with it.”
― Jennifer L. Holm, Turtle In Paradise

4 people liked it

See all Jennifer L. Holm's quotes »

Polls

What Book Shall We Read in December?

Did we miss your pick for the Newbery this year? Well now is your chance to write in a book, published in 2011, for our final book of the month.

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy

10 votes 19.2%

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

8 votes 15.4%

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson

4 votes 7.7%

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (write-in)

4 votes 7.7%

Bigger than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder

4 votes 7.7%

Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver (write-in)

2 votes 3.8%

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

2 votes 3.8%

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy (write-in)

2 votes 3.8%

Inside Out & Back Again (write-in)

2 votes 3.8%

The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm

2 votes 3.8%

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

2 votes 3.8%

wonderstruck (write-in)

2 votes 3.8%

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

2 votes 3.8%

An Unlikely Arrangement by Patty Wiseman (write-in)

1 vote 1.9%

The Dragon of Cripple Creek by Troy Howell (write-in)

1 vote 1.9%

The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson

1 vote 1.9%

Waiting to Forget by Sheila Kelly Welch (write-in)

1 vote 1.9%

Eddie's War by Carol Saller (write-in)

1 vote 1.9%

The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True by Gerald Morris

1 vote 1.9%

True... Sort of by Katherine Hannigan

0 votes 0.0%

52 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Wild Things: YA G...: MAY Nominations: Fantasy Theme	59	158	Apr 30, 2010 09:44am
Wild Things: YA G...: April Group Reads' Nominations!	16	74	Mar 20, 2011 12:06pm
Mock Newbery 2013: ALA Newbery Medal Winners 2011	48	133	Mar 28, 2011 04:32am
The Newbery Award...: 2011 Honor - Turtle in Paradise	3	11	May 17, 2011 04:58pm
Wild Things: YA G...: Reading Challenge #9: Report Points Here	294	75	Oct 06, 2011 08:51pm
Gigi's Company: Book Cover Challenge	700	261	Oct 25, 2011 02:26pm
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2011: Reading Plans	54	267	Oct 25, 2011 08:07pm
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC!	2301	427	Nov 30, 2011 09:05pm
The Next Best Boo...: The Title Game	15271	11886	2 hours, 6 min ago

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Jennifer L. Holm

Author profile

combine editionsBooks by Jennifer L. Holm

Series by Jennifer L. Holm

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Jennifer L. Holm

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Books by Jennifer L. Holm