Paul Zindel 1936 - 2003

He is also writer of several well-received plays for adults--The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds received the Pulitzer Prize in 1971.

His Work:

Zindel was the first young adult author to show his characters smoking, drinking, swearing, having sex, enduring abortion, and showing dislike of school.

Zindel also writes about adults in uncomplementary ways. "The adults in Zindel's books are often parents or authority figures who treat the young adults at the center of the stories with cruelty, dishonesty, irresponsibility, or indifference." and because of that treatment, the "teens have developed personal problems and low self-esteem as well as sardonic views of life. "

Zindel has been consistently popular with young adult readers, who appreciate the depth, truthfulness, exaggeration, caricature, and humor in his books.

His books confirm two of the most widely-held beliefs of teenagers: that they are superior to adults and that they live more honest lives than adults do. His books examine our society, and finally present an affirmation of faith in young people.

His Life:

In the years following his father's desertion of the family, Zindel's mother,"worked at everything, nursing, real estate, a hot dog stand, and inventions, but we usually lived in a shambles." Beatrice Zindel also had bouts of depression and paranoia. "Our home was a house of fear, Mother never trusted anybody. . . ." . Beatrice "instilled in me the thought that the world was out to get me."

His mother's sickness and the family's constant moving led to a lonely childhood for Zindel. "There were no peers, there were no friends, there was no one to talk to. I felt worthless as a kid, and dared to speak and act my feelings only in fantasy and secret. That's probably what made me a writer."

Zindel recalls, "We had no books, no theatre. We had none of those things," He found other ways to entertain himself with marionettes, some of which he made; cycloramas; movies and comic books; and aquariums, terrariums, and insectariums.

In high school, he wrote sketches and skits But then at 15, he got tuberculosis and was sent to a sanitorium. When he got better and returned to school, he entered a playwriting contest and won a silver Parker pen for his first full-length play, the story of a stricken pianist who beats his disease and ends up playing Chopin's "Warsaw Concerto" at Carnegie Hall.

After graduating from high school, Zindel attended Wagner College on Staten Island and majored in chemistry. After taking a course taught by playwright Edward Albee, he found a mentor for his writing. After graduating from Wagner College with a degree in chemistry, Zindel worked for a year as a technical writer at Allied Chemical before deciding to become a teacher.

He received a master's degree in education from Wagner College and began teaching chemistry and physics at Tottenville High School on Staten Island. Zindel taught for ten years and continued to write plays in his spare time. In 1963, he wrote The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds

Gamma Rays features a bright young girl, Tillie; her abusive mother, Beatrice; and her epileptic sister, Ruth. When Tillie receives recognition for her school science project--from which the title of the play is taken--it becomes clear that she will be able to break away from her dysfunctional family. The author confirmed that he based the character of Beatrice on his mother. "I've exaggerated, of course," he noted. "It's true that Mother did a lot of the mean things that Beatrice does, but she was also capable of enormous compassion."

Noted children's book editor Charlotte Zolotow saw Marigolds and met with Zindel to persuade him to begin writing books for young adults. Zindel said that Zolotow "brought me into an area that I never explored before, my own confused, funny, aching teenage days." After their meeting, Zindel began reading young adult literature. He later told said, "I discovered that there weren't many writers who were getting through. . . . What I saw in most of them had no connection to the teenagers I knew. I thought I knew what kids would want in a book, and so I made a list and followed it." The result was The Pigman.

His Books:

This is the story of two teenagers who become friends with an elderly widower and end up betraying his trust. Two young teens meet become friends with Mr. Pignati (they call him The Pigman because of his treasured collection of marble pigs), an old man who has not accepted his wife's death. They also gain a sense of self-worth and grow fond of one another because of their genuine friendship with the old man.

The Pigman was a ground-breaking novel because--along with S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders--it changed the teen "junior novel" from a predictable story about high school sports and dances to one about "complex teenage protagonists dealing with real concerns: broken families, peer pressure, drug use, sexuality, runaways, and ethnic and racial differences. "

My Darling, My Hamburger focuses on the contrast between two sets of boyfriend-girlfriend relationships and how the attitudes and actions of parents affect the sexual responsibility of these teens; the boy and girl whose parents show love, tolerance, and understanding act responsibly while the other pair, afflicted by low self-esteem and alienated from their parents, act irresponsibly.

At 17, Dewey Daniels is fed up with his boring high school and decides to drop out, taking a part-time job at Richmond Valley Hospital. one day he catches fellow dropout Yvette Goethals stealing hospital supplies, and it's lust at first sight. But Yvette and Dewey are like night and day: she's a vegetarian and couldn't care less about a romantic commitment; he loves cheeseburgers and can't get Yvette out of his mind. By the time these two get through with each other, will true love ever be the same?

Received the Pulitzer Prize in 1971
"Naturalistic drama in two acts by Paul Zindel, produced in 1965. It won the Pulitzer Prize when it was published in 1971. Largely autobiographical, the play is noted for its sympathetic characterizations. The story centers on Beatrice Hunsdorfer, an impractical, embittered widow living with her two awkward teenage daughters in a ramshackle house where she makes a living by nursing an elderly invalid. Alternately charming and abrasive, Beatrice is generally selfish like her elder daughter, Ruth, who suffers from convulsions brought on by a childhood trauma. The younger daughter, Tillie, is an eccentric outcast who earns respect by winning her school science project." From the Merriam Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

This is about fifteen-year-old Marsh Mellow, who can't accept his father's death and can't cope with his mother's alcoholism and emotional abuse of him. In a special education class, he meets Edna Shinglebox whose parents pull her in two directions: she's pushed into doing things she doesn't want to do and is overprotected from doing what she wants to do. Together, these two misfits face an even crazier world. After surviving a series of wild and unbelievable events, they eventually confront the reality of their lives and earn hard-won esteem.

Sixteen-year-old Chris Boyd has always felt like a social outcast. He's scruffy and depressed, misses his dead father, and despises his mother. Now he and his mother, a live-in nurse, find themselves in a dilapidated old house where Mrs. Boyd cares for a dying lady, Mrs. Dipardi. As if that's not enough, Chris must deal with Mrs. Dipardi's 30-year-old misfit son, Lloyd, who wants to teach kids a thing or two about life. Can Chris shake Lloyd's influence and come up with the answers he needs for himself?

Bobby Perkins knew the minute he saw Mr. Hulka, his sinister new neighbor, that the man was evil. Then one morning, while spying on the man, who works as an undertaker, Bobby thinks he witnesses a violent crime. Bobby is determined to expose Mr. Hulka, and he asks his best friend, Lauri, to help him. The two sleuths discover much more than they bargained for. Can Bobby and Lauri stop the evil Hulka before he claims his next victims?

In thisequel to The Pigman the two teenagers--still guilty about their friend's death two years later--go to the abandoned house and find a homeless and sick old man living there. Plagued by the memories of their experience with The Pigman, they bring the tramp food and just before his death go on a gambling spree with him to Atlantic City.

Eugene Dingman begins a diary on his 15th birthday, the day he learns that he's to be a waiter at a posh summer hotel in New York's Adirondack Mountains. Eugene finds both heaven and hell at the end of Skunksstet Misery Lane, where sits Lake Henry Hotel. Hell is being the youngest waiter, tormented by maniacal chef Bunker. Heaven is being hopelessly in love with Francophile waitress Della, who inspires Eugene to read Madame Bovary. But Eugene's love isn't returned. To add to his misery, his mother may be involved with an ex-Mafia hit man, and Eugene's long-absent father won't answer his letters. It isn't until after Labor Day that Eugene dramatically acts to establish his self-esteem.

Henry and Zelda are stunned to discover that their favorite teacher, Miss Applebaum, won't be back at school teaching science. In fact, Miss Applebaum hasn't very long to live. When Henry and Zelda become the Saturday companions of their, beloved teacher, her exuberance for learning, having fun, and helping the homeless is contagious. Their visits to Central Park, museums, and other places around New York City open an exciting new world to Zelda and Henry. But Miss Applebaum can't escape the inevitable. Will Henry and Zelda be able to carry out her last wish?
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Meet teenage playwright David Mahooley. Ever since his ex-girlfriend tried to skewer herself on the school flagpole, he can't bring himself to write a word. Enter fast-talking Della Jones, an actress and writing coach with a gym bag full of massage oil, vodka, houseplants, and experiments in "mutual grooming." Her outrageous ways are enough to set David's mind and heart spinning and inspire a new kind of play. It will be his masterpiece -- a play about teenage love the way it really is: burning, boiling, and passionate. David will write it. Della will be the star. But each new scene brings startling revelations about Della's past. And by the time the truth of it all is written. the two of them will never be the same.

For years, Loch and his spunky younger sister Zaidee have trailed after Dr. Sam, their renowned marine biologist father, as he travels the world searching for behemoths like Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster. Dr. Sam's boss is the wealthy and inexplicably evil Anthony Cavenger, the father of Loch's love interest Sarah, a spoiled but good-hearted clotheshorse. xploring a remote Vermont lake, Cavenger and his entourage have a brief but bloody encounter with what seems to be a Plesiosaurus, a fanged cousin of "Nessie." The next day, Loch and his sister meet up with Wee Beastie, a playful infant Plesiosaurus that endears itself to the youngsters with its "otherworldly singing."

A killer beast—half-man, half-apelike—terrorizes the English plain on which Stonehenge lies. Fifteen-year-old Jackson Cauley, with the help of his anthropologist aunt and a local girl, has tracked down the predator’s lair. But the source of the beast’s power lies in the ancient Doom Stone of Stonehenge, and unless its secret is unlocked, the deadly slaughter will continue.
1995 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (ALA)
1996 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
1997-98 Texas Lone Star Reading List
1998 Soaring Eagle Book Award Honor Book (WY)

According to a cryptic legend, the secret that will save the people of a small Aboriginal village lies at the bottom of an Australian reef inhabited by a monstrous creature. Two deadly attacks unite a beautiful Aboriginal girl and a resourceful American boy, who quickly discover that the monster is not their biggest obstacle: a sadistic geologist with torture chambers in her freighter is determined to steal the valuable secret before the teenagers reach it. Few YA writers can spin a tale of terror with the deftness and macabre humor of Zindel.
From the Booklist

While exploring a cave alone, Zack's paleontologist father is seriously wounded when he encounters a female raptor guarding her nest. After he is rescued, Zack goes to the area and finds a dinosaur egg. If readers can survive the violent opening scene, they will enjoy equally descriptive encounters throughout the rest of the book. Although gory, these vivid portrayals make the narrative effective. Zindel is a master at creating and sustaining a mood and Raptor is no exception. From beginning to end, young people will be immersed in a battle between animal and man. If Zack can capture a living dinosaur, his father will be a celebrity.
From The School Library Journal

"Zindel who is more widely known for his book "The Pigman", takes this novel to new heights and dimensions. The story is a nightmarish thriller that depicts gigantic rodents graphically devouring people. This book leaves nothing to the imagination! Zindel's style is fast paced and takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of horror. There is never a dull moment in this book. The plot is full of spine tingling, stomach-churning action. This book is a great motivator to get older students to read, adolescent readers will not be able to put this book down. This book is appropriate for children who are 11-14 years of age. This book IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AT ALL!! Teachers or parents may dislike this book, but students/teenagers (especially boys) will love it."

Zindel maintains the page-turning immediacy of his recent novels (The Doom Stone; Reef of Death) while examining a serious piece of WWII history: the making of the atomic bomb. Through the eyes of 13-year-old Stephen, the son of one of the scientists working in Los Alamos, N.Mex., Zindel reveals the moral dilemmas lurking behind a veil of secrecy. Stephen's father works side by side with Robert Oppenheimer and other renowned physicists. Dr. Soifer, piques Stephen's curiosity and alerts him to the potential disasters that could result from the "Gadget." Stephen befriends Tilanov, whose father also works on the base, and they set out together to find answers about the mysterious project, an investigation that leads to danger and disillusionment. The novel challenges idealized views of patriotism and unconditional trust. Readers will come away from this story with much food for thought, and can go on to further reading thanks to the book's comprehensive list of historical events and descriptions of figures who played a key role in constructing these first bombs.