K. A. Applegate
K. A. Applegate
Katherine Alice Applegateis an American young adult and children's fiction writer, best known as the author of the Animorphs, Remnants, Everworld, and other book series. She won the 2013 Newbery Medal for her 2012 children's novel The One and Only Ivan. Applegate's most popular books are science fiction, fantasy, and adventure novels. She won the Best New Children's Book Series Award in 1997 in Publishers Weekly. Her book Home of the Brave has won two awards. She has recently written...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWriter
Date of Birth9 October 1956
CountryUnited States of America
I hope kids feel gratitude for what they do have.
I grew up with a menagerie of dogs, cats, gerbils - not to mention three younger siblings.
I grew up in an affluent suburban world and never worried about money until I'd grown up and found wonderfully original ways to screw up my life.
Hunger and homelessness aren't things we always want to talk about.
Gorillas may seem terrifying because of their bodies, but they are really magnificent and very gentle.
At the end of the day, I'd love to see children stop begging their parents to go to the circus. That's what would make me most happy.
As a species, we can at times be dimwitted and cruel. But we're also capable of learning.
I think all writers write from the time they're really young, and you just start asking the question, 'What if?'
Stan is a rescue Chihuahua mix. He was the role model for Bob, the dog in 'Ivan.' The drawings in the book look precisely like Stan.
I was sure I wanted to grow up to be either a veterinarian or a writer. In fact, I worked for a vet during high school, doing everything from cleaning cages to assisting in surgery.
I really love writing, but I am very easily distracted: my two cats fighting, a rainbow, a TV show... I have to use every trick to keep myself at the computer.
When I was a child, going to a circus with wild animal acts was a rite of passage. These days, it's an act of complicit cruelty.
I love any excuse to come to New York - when it's not February.
One of the reasons I love writing for middle graders, besides their voracious appetite for books, is their deep concern for fairness and morality.