Michael O. Tunnell

I taught children's literature at Brigham Young University for many years and have written several books about literature for young readers, including THE STORY OF OURSELVES: TEACHING HISTORY THROUGH CHILDREN'S LITERATURE and CHILDREN'S LITERATURE, BRIEFLY. Twice I helped choose the Newbery Medal winner, the most prestigious of children’s book awards. My wife, Glenna, and I live in Orem, Utah. We have four grown children and nine grandchildren. We love to travel the world when we can and, in the last few years, have been to Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Japan, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, France, England, Italy, Slovenia, and Hungary. My writing includes picture books, informational books, and novels for young readers of different ages. Many of my books are about historical topics, such as THE CHILDREN OF TOPAZ, a photo-essay about the Japanese-American internment camp located in Utah during World War II. Other examples include the picture book, MAILNG MAY (illustrated by the wonderful Ted Rand), which is the amazing true story of a five-year-old girl in Idaho who was mailed by parcel post to her grandmother in 1914 (an ALA Notable Book), and the novel, BROTHERS IN VALOR based on the true story of three German teens who resisted Hitler during WWII (A Junior Library Guild Selection). I also have written fantasy, such as my ghost story, SCHOOL SPIRITS, and my “Arabian Nights” Moon Duet (WISHING MOON and MOON WITHOUT MAGIC). WISHING MOON received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and won the Utah Book Award. CANDY BOMBER: THE STORY OF THE BERLIN AIRLIFT'S "CHOCOLATE PILOT" is another of my history titles. It is a photo-essay about an American pilot who dropped candy-laden parachutes to children during Berlin Airlift. CANDY BOMBER received a starred review from Booklist, won an Orbis Pictus Honor Book Award and the Beehive Book Award, and appeared on many best books lists. Some of my other books include the picture books CHINOOK!, THE JOKE'S ON GEORGE, HALLOWEEN PIE, and BEAUTY AND THE BEASTLY CHILDREN, as well as THE PRYDAIN COMPANION, a guide to Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles. My upcoming book, JEWEL OF THE DESERT: LIFE IN A CITY BEHIND BARBED WIRE, is another look at Japanese American internment during the Second World War. For more about Michael O. Tunnell, see the following sources: Something About the Author, volume 103. Edited by Alan Hedblad. The Gale Group, 1999, pp. 168-173. The Eighth Book of Junior Authors and Illustrators. Edited by Connie Rockman. H.W. Wilson, 2000, pp. 529-533. Something About the Author, volume 157. The Gale Group, 2005, pp. 247-252 Website: http://www.michaelotunnell.net