Matt Christopher
Encyclopedia
Matthew "Matt" Christopher (August 16, 1917 - September 20, 1997) was an author of children's books, born in Bath, Pennsylvania
, the oldest of nine children. He was a prolific author, writing more than one hundred books, mostly children's novels centered around sports.
Christopher was an athlete as a child and turned to writing as a career
when his first short story
"The Missing Finger Points," was published in a detective story magazine. His first full-length novel was The Lucky Baseball Bat, published in 1954. When Christopher was in his thirties and forties, he played minor league baseball in a Canadian league. He lived in [Lansing, New York]] at that time.
Though Christopher wrote about many sports, his most frequent subject was baseball
. His best baseball books are considered to be Wild Pitch
, Catcher with a Glass Arm, and The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
. He also wrote many books about football
, including Tough to Tackle and Crackerjack Halfback, and Football Nightmare,and soccer, including Soccer Scoop, Soccer Duel, and Top Wing, basketball
and hockey
. He has written books centred on snowboarding
, dirt bike racing
, volleyball
, golf
and many other sports, in addition to a number of biographies of sportsmen and women. His first children's sports book ever published was The Lucky Baseball Bat
When asked why he wrote sports books for children, Christopher once responded, "Sports have made it possible for me to meet many new people with all sorts of life stories, on and off the field, and these are grist for this writer's mill." treyton
In 1993, he won the Milner Award, an award given to an author whose books are most enjoyed by children in Atlanta, Georgia
.
Bath, Pennsylvania
Bath is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is named for Bath, Somerset, England. It is located in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Bath was 2,693 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, the oldest of nine children. He was a prolific author, writing more than one hundred books, mostly children's novels centered around sports.
Christopher was an athlete as a child and turned to writing as a career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
when his first short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
"The Missing Finger Points," was published in a detective story magazine. His first full-length novel was The Lucky Baseball Bat, published in 1954. When Christopher was in his thirties and forties, he played minor league baseball in a Canadian league. He lived in [Lansing, New York]] at that time.
Though Christopher wrote about many sports, his most frequent subject was baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. His best baseball books are considered to be Wild Pitch
Wild Pitch (novel)
Wild Pitch is a 1980 novel for children by Matt Christopher.The story revolves around a boy who feels uncomfortable about girls playing baseball...
, Catcher with a Glass Arm, and The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
The Kid Who Only Hit Homers
-Plot:The plot of the book revolves around a boy named Sylvester Coddmeyer III, who is having trouble hitting on his little league baseball team. One day, Sylvester meets a mysterious stranger named George Baruth, who promises to make Sylvester the best player on his team. After meeting Baruth,...
. He also wrote many books about football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, including Tough to Tackle and Crackerjack Halfback, and Football Nightmare,and soccer, including Soccer Scoop, Soccer Duel, and Top Wing, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
. He has written books centred on snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
, dirt bike racing
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
and many other sports, in addition to a number of biographies of sportsmen and women. His first children's sports book ever published was The Lucky Baseball Bat
When asked why he wrote sports books for children, Christopher once responded, "Sports have made it possible for me to meet many new people with all sorts of life stories, on and off the field, and these are grist for this writer's mill." treyton
In 1993, he won the Milner Award, an award given to an author whose books are most enjoyed by children in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.