Best Story

Eileen fell in love with words and decided to become a writer as a young child at Sellers Memorial Library. She is the author of many children’s books, along with being a mother and a grandmother, and currently lives with her husband, Jerry Spinelli, who is also an author in Pennsylvania. When she is not writing books (which she does longhand, and then on an electric typewriter), she enjoys drinking tea, picking herbs, trying on hats and star-gazing with her husband.

Anne Wilsdorf’s illustrations for Sophie’s Squash were described as “bursting with color and energy on every page” in a starred review from Booklist. She has illustrated numerous books for children, including Sophie’s Squash Go to School, the sequel to Pat Zietlow Miller’s Sophie’s Squash, as well as Susan McElroy Montanari’s My Dog’s a Chicken, Elizabeth Bluemle’s Dogs on the Bed, Eileen Spinelli’s The Best Story, Sharon Arms Doucet’s Alligator Sue, and Lenore Look’s Ruby Lu series.