Kotzwinkle, William.

William Kotzwinkle was born November 22, 1938, in Scranton, PA. He became a writer of both adult and children's books. His writings for children tend to be straightforward. He feels that much of the writing for children is patronizing, so in his own writing he tries to respect children and avoid looking down at them. In his collection of Inspector Mantil Mysteries, for children, he spoofs Sherlock Holmes with a Mantis detective solving crimes Holmes style in a world populated entirely by bugs. His novels for adults tend to be wildly fantastic science-fiction. Critics tend to either love his work or give it a cold reception. He was received several awards for his writing.

Biographical Sources: Something About the Author, vols. 24, 70; Children's Literature Review, vol. 6.

From the guide to the William Kotzwinkle papers, 1978, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])