Picture of author.

Jamie Gilson

Author of Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub

22 Works 1,579 Members 9 Reviews 1 Favorited

About the Author

Children's author Jamie Gilson was born in Beardstown, Illinois on July 4, 1933. She received her B.A. from the Northwestern University School of Speech after starting out her education at the University if Missouri. Before becoming an author, she was a teacher, a staff writer and producer for the show more Chicago Board of Education radio station, a writer of Encyclopaedia Brittanica films, and was a monthly columnist for Chicago magazine. She wrote commercials for radio station WFMT in Chicago as well as writing film and film strips for Encyclopedia Britannica Films. Most of her novels are humorous contemporary works set in Illinois. She draws on her own childhood as well as visits to local schools for book ideas. As a child, she lived in Pittsfield, Illinois for a few years which later became the setting for two of her novels. Her book Wagon Train 911 was based on her experience of spending two weeks with an entire fifth grade class while they studied the Western Movement using total immersion. The students took pioneer identities, joined a wagon train, and made decisions concerning their trip. Her books have won numerous awards including the 2005 Prairie State Award for Excellence in Writing for Children presented by the Illinois Reading Council. Two of her books, Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub and Do Bananas Chew Gum?, have won state child-voted awards from Florida, Ohio, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the name: GILSON JAMIE

Image credit: Jamie Gilson smiles in New Year's Eve finery in 2007./Wikipedia user Aunt Petunia

Series

Works by Jamie Gilson

Thirteen Ways to Sink a Sub (1982) 350 copies
Stink Alley (2002) 218 copies
Do Bananas Chew Gum? (1980) 134 copies
Hobie Hanson, You're Weird (1987) 94 copies
4B Goes Wild (1983) 84 copies
Double Dog Dare (1900) 61 copies
Wagon Train 911 (1996) 42 copies
It Goes Eeeeeeeeeeeee! (1994) 36 copies
Bug in a Rug (1998) 31 copies
Soccer Circus (1993) 25 copies
Itchy Richard (1991) — Author — 25 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Members

Reviews

EducatingParents.org rating: Under Review
 
Flagged
MamaBearLendingDen | Nov 26, 2023 |
Star and a half because the author can write; she just can't write Middle Grade characters. I first read this half a dozen times in fifth grade. I wanted my school to do something like it! We did not. I wished I was tall like Dinah. Instead, I had a -lot- in common with Orin. Still do. As an adult, I have to ask: does Kool-Aid work as a hair dye on fine, blonde hair? I have dark hair that requires special dye and styling products, so Kool-Aid attempts would never amount to anything. I'm just curious if the urban legend is true. So, Kool-Aid's possible uses have more of my attention in this story, than the story itself. I was surprised at how boring and annoying I found this book as an adult. There were too many stories and characters jammed into one little book, and the chapter names were annoying. I'm glad I found it again, though. I have set aside a good book for myself to read, and shall now.… (more)
 
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iszevthere | Jul 11, 2022 |
In style and topic, this is very similar to Sixth Grade Can Really Kill You by Barthe DeClements—both are about kids who are dyslexic and having trouble in school. The copy I read was deaccessioned from the library, probably because the MC’s parents discuss whether or not he is “r#t#rded” and because the type of orthodontia in this book is out of date and contemporary kids might not understand what was happening. (Do kids still have to wear retainers and accidentally throw them out in the lunchroom?) But the novel was really funny and well-written and had lots of action, including a tornado. It was like a beautiful slice of my 1980s childhood and I enjoyed it very much. Apparently Jamie Gilson died just last year. I am going to look for more of her books.… (more)
 
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jollyavis | 1 other review | Dec 14, 2021 |
I really worried that this was going to be racist/culturally inappropriate and was really worried about reading it, but it ended up being really good.

The bully in the story ended up being so well-written I wanted to beat him up, just like I wanted to beat up all the bullies in my childhood (and never did because they were all bigger than me).

The best part for me was probably the end, the way things came together and Harvey and Tuan mature because of circumstances and come to recognize each other as ... individual persons.

Adrianne
… (more)
 
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Adrianne_p | 1 other review | Mar 28, 2021 |

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Associated Authors

Michael Garland Illustrator
Anita Riggio Illustrator
Linda S. Edwards Illustrator
Diane de Groat Illustrator

Statistics

Works
22
Members
1,579
Popularity
#16,337
Rating
½ 3.5
Reviews
9
ISBNs
128
Languages
1
Favorited
1

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