LITERATURE Children's book author to speak at Penn State Beaver conference

MONACA, Pa. -- Jack Gantos, educator and award-winning author of many children's books, including The Rotten Ralph series, will speak at Penn State Beaver at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Study Learning Center auditorium.
His presentation is free and open to the public.
Gantos, who also wrote a series of children's books featuring Joey Pigza, will be the featured speaker at the annual Penn State Beaver Elementary Educators and Special Education Conference on Dec. 7. More than 40 area teachers are expected to attend the daylong conference at the campus.
Gantos has been writing the Rotten Ralph series since 1976 and published two more books in the series this year. In addition, he has written a variety of other children's books as well as books for young adults and adults. He has won a host of awards and honors for his writing, including the American Library Association Book Award, the Newberry Honor Award, and the National Association for Special Educational Needs Award for Best Book in Special Needs Education in the United Kingdom. Gantos also was a finalist for the National Book Award in children's literature and received the International Reading Association's Children's Choice Award.
He holds a master's degree in literature and creative writing and a bachelor's degree in creative writing from Emerson College, where he also taught writing, literature and publishing for 18 years. In addition, he served as a faculty member in the Norwich College master of fine arts program in writing for children.