Jamie Gilson facts for kids

Jamie Marie Gilson (born Chisam; July 4, 1933 – February 11, 2020) was an American author. She wrote twenty-one children’s books. Jamie Gilson once said, "I watch what kids are doing and write stories based on what I see." This shows how she got her ideas for her books.

About Jamie Gilson's Life

Jamie Gilson was born in Beardstown, Illinois, on July 4, 1933. As she grew up, she lived in several towns in the Midwestern United States. These towns included Boonville, Missouri, and Oak Park, Illinois.

She finished high school in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1951. Later, she studied at the University of Missouri. She also graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Speech.

Jamie Gilson was married to Jerome Gilson. They had three children named Tom, Matthew, and Anne. She lived near Chicago for most of her life. She passed away at her home in Wilmette, Illinois, on February 11, 2020, when she was 86 years old.

Jamie Gilson's Writing Career

Before becoming a full-time author, Jamie Gilson worked in different fields. She taught junior high school for one year. Then, she worked in educational radio, writing and producing shows. She also wrote commercials for radio stations.

Later, she wrote films and film strips for Encyclopædia Britannica Films. For ten years, she wrote articles for Chicago magazine.

Jamie Gilson published her first book for children in 1978. It was called Harvey the Beer Can King. Her last book, My Teacher is an Idiom, came out on August 25, 2015.

Jamie Gilson's Books

Most of Jamie Gilson's books are funny stories about kids living in Illinois. One special book, Stink Alley, is different. It tells a story about the Pilgrims in the 1600s in Holland.

Her books often deal with real-life challenges in a lighthearted way. For example, in Do Bananas Chew Gum?, a sixth-grader named Sam Mott learns to deal with his dyslexia. In Hello, My Name is Scrambled Eggs, a seventh-grader helps a young refugee from Vietnam.

Jamie Gilson used her own experiences for some stories. She once won an award at a baking contest. This inspired her book Can't Catch Me, I'm the Gingerbread Man. It's about a boy who is the only male contestant in a national bake-off.

Another popular book is Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub. In this story, the girls and boys in Room 4B try to make their substitute teacher cry. Several of her books follow the adventures of a fifth-grader named Hobie Hanson. Her more recent books are about two second-graders, Richard and Patrick. Jamie Gilson often got ideas for her stories from a local elementary school.

Awards and Recognition

Jamie Gilson received many awards for her children’s books. In 2005, she won the Prairie State Award. This award is for excellent writing for children in Illinois.

In 2003, she received the Society of Midland Authors Award for Children’s Fiction. This was for her book Stink Alley. In 1981, she won the Carl Sandburg Award for Do Bananas Chew Gum?. Other famous writers have also received this award.

Children also voted for her books to win awards. Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub won several of these. It received the Buckeye Children’s Book Award in 1987. It also won the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award and the Sequoyah Book Award in 1985. In 1981, Do Bananas Chew Gum? won the Charlie May Simon Award, which is also chosen by children.

List of Books

• My Teacher is an Idiom (2015)
• Chess! I Love It! I Love It! I Love It! (2008)
• Gotcha! (2006)
• Stink Alley (2002)
• Bug in a Rug (1998)
• Wagon Train 911 (1996)
• It Goes Eeeeeeeeeeeee! (1994)
• Soccer Circus (1993)
• You Cheat! (1992)
• Sticks and Stones and Skeleton Bones (1991)
• Itchy Richard (1990)
• Greatest Hero of the Mall (1989)
• Double Dog Dare (1988)
• Hobie Hanson, You're Weird (1985)
• Hello, My Name is Scrambled Eggs (1985)
• 4B Goes Wild (1983)
• Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub (1982)
• Can't Catch Me, I'm the Gingerbread Man (1981)
• Do Bananas Chew Gum (1980)
• Dial Leroi Rupert, DJ (1979)
• Harvey the Beer Can King (1978)