Clare Vanderpool

Clare Vanderpool is an American children’s author. Her first book, "Moon Over Manifest", won the 2011 Newbery Medal. She lives with her husband and four children in Kansas.
Life.
Vanderpool was born on November 6, 1964, in Wichita, Kansas. She has a husband, Mark, and four children. Vanderpool still lives in the town that she grew up in. Her children go to the same schools that she went to as a child.
Books.
Vanderpool wrote the books "Navigating Early", and "Moon Over Manifest". "Moon Over Manifest" won the 2011 Newbery Medal. It tells the story of a 12-year-old girl, Abilene Tucker, who finds some secrets that start to put together the story of her father’s upbringing.
Vanderpool originally got the idea for "Navigating Early" (published 2013) from one of her mother’s dreams. In the dream, there was a boy who was amazing at piano. Although he never had any lessons, he could hear a difficult piece just once and would be able to play it perfectly. From the dream, she created the book about a boy who had an unexplainable gift, that creates a close friendship with a girl. “Where an author gets her ideas is simple. Ideas come from watching, listening, paying attention, and most of all from the characters themselves.” - Clare Vanderpool.