Ben Mikaelsen

Ben Mikaelsen (b. 1952, Bolivia) is a writer of children's literature.

Mikaelsen is the son of Danish settlers and grew up in the Andes mountains of Bolivia. He wasn't sent to school until the fourth grade where he was heavily bullied, and later moved to the United States in the 7th grade. Mikaelsen started writing full time in 1984, and has won many awards, including the International Reading Association Award and the Western Writer's Golden Spur award. He has also gained many state Readers Choice Awards. He is a sky diving champion and has written many books such as "Tree Girl, Touching Spirit Bear, and Petey." He owns a pet bear named Buffy, who is a 500 pound Blackbear. Mikaelsen saved him from execution, and personally does not believe that it is right to take an animal out of its natural environment. The bear had his claws removed and is very friendly. Today, Mikaelsen lives in the mountains of Colorado.

External links

* [http://www.benmikaelsen.com Ben Mikaelsen's Website]
* [http://books.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks/authorstudies/authorhome.jsp?authorID=5834&collateralID=13071&displayName=Biography About Ben Mikaelsen]
* [http://www.authortracker.ca/author.asp?a=authorid&b=15406 Ben's Awards]
* [http://www.childrensbookradio.com/childrensbookradiopodcast17.mp3 2007 Audio Interview of Ben Mikaelsen]