Biografia
Barbara Lynne Park (née Tidswell; April 21, 1947 – November 15, 2013) was an American author of children's books. She is most well known for writing the Junie B. Jones series of chapter books. She has also written several middle grade and young adult books, including Skinnybones (1982), Mick Harte Was Here (1995), and The Graduation of Jake Moon (2000). Park's works frequently visit themes of familial relationships and children's experiences in school, and she based characters on her children and her own childhood memories. Park did not allow adaptations of her works except for stage plays. Originally intending to become a high school teacher, Park abandoned the idea after an unpleasant semester as a student teacher. She moved across the country as her husband traveled for Air Force training before they settled in Arizona. Her first manuscript, Skinnybones, was accepted by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc in 1981. Don't Make Me Smile, another manuscript she had prepared, became her first book published by Knopf the same year. She began writing Junie B. Jones in 1992, which proved highly popular, and she continued writing the series for the rest of her life. She became active in advocacy for the use of bicycle helmets after a child died of a bicycle accident in her neighborhood in 1993, and this made up the plot of Mick Harte Was Here. She died of ovarian cancer in 2013. == Childhood == Barbara Lynne Tidswell was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey, on April 21, 1947. Her father was Brooke Tidswell Jr, a banker, the local board of education president, and the owner of a home improvement store. Her mother, Doris Tidswell, was a high school library secretary. She had a brother, also named Brooke, who was two years older than her; he went on to become mayor of Mount Holly. Tidswell described her younger self as a tattletale—especially against her brother—and would tell on people so they learn their lesson "for their own good". She hoped to be on the television show The Mickey Mouse Club. Each year, her family took a two-week summer trip to Long Beach Island. She later spoke positively about her childhood. As a child, she enjoyed the Thornton W. Burgess story collection Burgess Bird for Children and the Nancy Drew books. She more often read comics, such as Richie Rich, Archie Comics, and Uncle Scrooge. As a teenager, Tidswell moved away from comics and read books more frequently. Reading The Catcher in the Rye redefined how she saw literature and impressed on her how to present a character like Holden Caulfield. Tidswell also considered this a formative time in her life politically. As major events such as the Vietnam War and the Civil rights movement took place, she felt obligated to stay up to date so she could join her friends' political discussions. Reflecting on her political beliefs, she said that she was "all over the board" with her opinions "depending on which spin doctor sounded the most intelligent". Tidswell graduated from Rancocas Valley Regional High S
