Eggs

As one of the most well-known authors of children’s literature, Jerry Spinelli has penned over 30 novels across a literary career lasting more than 40 years. His first novels were written for adults, but he faced many rejections. Eventually, Space Station Seventh Grade, which was originally written for adults as well, became his first published novel, and he then launched a successful career writing quirky, tender-hearted middle grade novels that address a range of serious topics that children may have to deal with in life. Many of his novels are bestsellers and award-winners, and he is particularly well-known for writing the critically acclaimed novel Maniac Magee, which won the Newbery Medal in 1991, establishing Spinelli as a significant player in the world of children’s literature.

For Eggs, the journey from initial idea to final publication proved to be a bit less linear than the planning of a standard novel. Spinelli recalls that he worked on the novel for a month but felt like he was getting nowhere. Discouraged by a peer’s observation that the manuscript still needed a lot of work, Spinelli temporarily shelved the project in favor of another idea, going on to publish