“Tell me I didn't imagine it, Leo. Tell me that even though our bodies were in seperate states, our star selves shared an enchanted place. Tell me that right around noon today (eastern time) you had the strangest sensation: a tiny chill on your shoulder...a flutter in the heart...a shadow of strawberry-banana crossing your tongue...tell me you whispered my name.”

American writer of children's novels

Jerry Spinelli is an American writer of children's novels. He is known for fiction about adolescence and early adulthood, and for books such as Maniac Magee, Stargirl, and Wringer. His work often focuses on young people moving through difficult or defining stages of life. Spinelli's novels are widely read in children's literature, especially for their attention to growing up, identity, and the pressures that shape those years.