Jutta Richter facts for kids

Jutta Richter (born September 30, 1955) is a German author. She writes wonderful books especially for children and young people. She was born in a town called Burgsteinfurt, in Germany.

Jutta Richter grew up in different parts of Germany, including the Ruhr area and Sauerland. When she was 15, she spent a year living in Detroit, USA. While there, she started writing her first book. She wanted to make sure she didn't forget her native language, German. She even got her first book published while she was still in school!

After finishing school, Jutta Richter went to university in Münster. She studied subjects like Theology, German language and literature, and Communication. Since 1978, she has been a freelance writer. This means she works for herself and writes from different places. She often writes from Schloss Westerwinkel in Ascheberg, Germany, and also from Lucca in Tuscany, Italy.

Jutta Richter is married to another German author, Ralf Thenior.

Awards and Recognition

Jutta Richter's books have won many special awards. These awards show how much her stories are loved and respected. Here are some of the awards she has received:

• 2000 "Rattenfänger-Literaturpreis" for her book Der Hund mit dem gelben Herzen oder Die Geschichte vom Gegenteil (The Dog with the Yellow Heart or The Story of the Opposite).
• 2000 "LUCHS des Jahres" for Der Tag, als ich lernte die Spinnen zu zähmen (The Day I Learned to Tame Spiders).
• 2001 UNESCO-Prize Nomination for Der Hund mit dem gelben Herzen.
• 2001 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Youth Literature Prize) for Der Tag, als ich lernte die Spinnen zu zähmen. This is a very important award in Germany for children's and youth books.
• 2004 "LUCHS" book of the month (August) for Hechtsommer (Pike Summer).
• 2004 "LesePeter" (September) for Hechtsommer.
• 2005 "Katholischer Kinder- und Jugendbuchpreis" (Catholic Children's and Youth Book Prize) for Hechtsommer.
• 2006 Deutschlandfunk – "Die besten 7 Bücher für junge Leser" (The Best 7 Books for Young Readers) in November for Die Katze oder Wie ich die Ewigkeit verloren habe (The Cat or How I Lost Eternity).
• 2007 "Premio Andersen" (an Italian children's literature award) for Die Katze oder Wie ich die Ewigkeit verloren habe.
• 2008 Mildred L. Batchelder Award for Die Katze oder Wie ich die Ewigkeit verloren habe. This is an American award for translated children's books.