View source for Gordon Korman

{{short description|Canadian American author}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name        = Gordon Korman
| image       = Gordon Korman 2019 Texas Book Festival.jpg
| imagesize   = 
| caption     = Korman at the 2015 Texas Book Festival
| alt         = 
| pseudonym   =
| birth_date  = 1963
| birth_place = [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], [[Canada]]
| alma_mater  = [[New York University]] ([[Bachelor of Fine Arts|BFA]])
| death_date  =
| death_place =
| occupation  = Author
| nationality = Canadian, American
| period      = 1975–present
| genre       = [[Realistic fiction]], [[adventure fiction]], [[young adult fiction]]
| subject     =
| movement    =
| notable_works = {{plainlist|
* ''Macdonald Hall''
* ''Swindle''
* ''The Toilet Paper Tigers''
* ''The 39 Clues'' (contributor)
* ''Faker''
}}
| signature   =
| website     = {{URL|www.gordonkorman.com/}}
}}
'''Gordon Korman''' is a Canadian author of [[children's books|children's]] and [[young adult fiction]] books.<ref name="gordonkorman.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.gordonkorman.com |title=Gordon Korman (home) |publisher=gordonkorman.com |access-date=February 2, 2011}}</ref> Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appeared at number one on [[The New York Times Best Seller list|''The New York Times'' Best Seller list]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.scholastic.ca/gordonkorman/ | title=Scholastic Canada &#124; Gordon Korman }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scholastic.ca/gordonkorman/|title=GORDON KORMAN :: HOME|website=scholastic.ca|access-date=August 10, 2016}}</ref>

==Early life==
Korman was born in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], where he lived until 1970.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/gordon-korman |title=Gordon Korman |last=Gardner |first=Suzanne  |date=January 5, 2012 |website=thecanadianencyclopedia.ca |publisher=Historica Canada |access-date=June 7, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> He grew up in [[Thornhill, Ontario|Thornhill]], [[Ontario]] (just north of [[Toronto]]) and attended [[German Mills Public School]] and public high school at [[Thornlea Secondary School]].<ref name="gordonkorman.com"/><ref name="thestar.com">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/printArticle/611407 |title=Prodigy or precocious? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407060645/http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/611407|archive-date=April 7, 2009|last=Zlomislic|first=Diana |date=April 1, 2009 |newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] |access-date= March 6, 2017}}</ref>

He moved to the United States to attend university at [[New York University]] where he studied film and film-writing.<ref name="www2.scholastic.com">{{cite web |url= http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=1578 |title=Biography: Gordon Korman |website= scholastic.com |publisher=Scholastic Teachers |access-date=February 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100807023037/http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=1578 |archive-date=August 7, 2010 }}</ref> Korman received a BFA from New York University in 1985;<ref name= "gordonkorman.com"/> with a degree in dramatic visual writing and a minor in motion picture and television.

==Career==
Korman wrote his first book when he was 14 years old, as part of an English class taught by a PE teacher in 7th grade.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Gordon Korman – Gordon Korman|url=https://gordonkorman.com/more-resources/about-gordon-korman-2|access-date=May 29, 2021|website=gordonkorman.com}}</ref> This became the manuscript for ''[[This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall]]'', the first book in his [[Macdonald Hall]] series.<ref name= "gordonkorman.com" /> Korman was the Scholastic Arrow Book Club monitor for the class; after completing the assignment, he mailed his manuscript to Scholastic.<ref name="www2.scholastic.com" /> ''This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall'' was published by [[Scholastic Press]] in 1978 when Korman was only 14 years old.<ref name="gordonkorman.com" /> Before graduating from high school in [[Thornhill, Ontario]], Korman wrote and published five books.<ref name="thestar.com" />

Korman has written 105 books,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gordon Korman |url=https://www.scholastic.ca/gordonkorman/|access-date=July 3, 2022|website=Scholastic Canada}}</ref> with his hundredth being ''The Fort''. His books have sold over 35 million copies{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}.

==Works==
<!--presumably intended to be complete; if not use "Selected works"-->

===Standalone books===
{{Col-begin}}
{{Col-break}}
*''[[I Want to Go Home!]]'' (1981) 
*''Our Man Weston'' (1982)
*''[[No Coins, Please]]'' (1984)
*''[[Don't Care High]]'' (1985)
*''[[Son of Interflux]]'' (1986)
*''[[A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag]]'' (1987)
*''Radio 5th Grade'' (1989)
*''[[Losing Joe's Place]]'' (1990)
*''[[The Twinkie Squad]]'' (1992)
*''The Toilet Paper Tigers'' (1993)
*'' Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road'' (1994)
*'' The Chicken Doesn't Skate'' (1996)
*'' Liar, Liar Pants on Fire'' (1997)
*''The Sixth Grade Nickname Game'' (1998)
*''[[No More Dead Dogs]]'' (2000)
*''Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America'' (2003)
*''Jake, Reinvented'' (2003)
*''[[Born to Rock (book)|Born to Rock]]'' (2006)
*''[[Schooled (novel)|Schooled]]'' (2007)
{{Col-break}}
*''The Juvie Three'' (2008)
*''Pop'' (2009)
*''Restart'' (2017)
*''Whatshisface'' (2018)
*''The Unteachables'' (2019)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/unteachables |title=Reviewed by Gordan Korman in New York Journal of Books}}</ref>
*''Notorious'' (2019)
*''War Stories'' (2020)
*''Unplugged'' (2021)
*''Linked'' (2021)
*''Operation Do-Over'' (2022)
*''The Fort'' (2022)
*''The Superteacher Project'' (2023)
*''Mixed Up'' (2023)
*''Slugfest'' (2024)
*''Faker'' (2024)
*''Old School'' (2025)<ref>{{cite web |title=Old School by Gordon Korman |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211642066-old-school |website=Goodreads |access-date=July 21, 2024}}</ref>
*''Snoop'' (2025)
*''Sleepless'' (2026)

{{col-end}}

===Series===
{{div col}}

====Macdonald Hall series====
{{Main|Macdonald Hall}}
*''[[This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall]]'' (Scholastic-TAB Publications, 1978)
*''[[Go Jump in the Pool]]'' (1979)
*''[[Beware the Fish]]!'' (1980)
*''The Wizzle War (formerly [[The War With Mr. Wizzle]])'' (1982)
*''[[The Zucchini Warriors]]'' (1988)
*''Lights, Camera, Disaster (formerly [[Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood]])'' (1991)
*''The Joke’s On Us (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)'' (1995)

====''Bugs Potter''====
*''Who is Bugs Potter?'' (1980)
*''Bugs Potter LIVE at Nickaninny'' (1983)

====''Jeremy Bloom''====
*'' The D− Poems of Jeremy Bloom: A Collection of Poems About School, Homework, and Life (Sort Of)'' (1992)
*'' The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom: A Collection of Poems About Winning, Losing, and Being a Good Sport (Sometimes)'' (1996)<ref>{{cite book|author1=Gordon Korman|author2=Bernice Korman|title=The last-place sports poems of Jeremy Bloom: a collection of poems about winning, losing, and being a good sport (sometimes)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0CqTZSi--EMC|access-date=March 6, 2017|date=October 1, 1996|publisher=Scholastic|isbn=978-0-590-25516-5}}</ref>

====''Monday Night Football Club''====
*''The Quarterback Exchange: I Was John Elway'' (1997)
*''Running Back Conversion: I Was Barry Sanders'' (1997)
*''Super Bowl Switch: I Was Dan Marino'' (1997)
*''Heavy Artillery: I Was Junior Seau'' (1997)
*''Ultimate Scoring Machine: I Was Jerry Rice'' (1998)
*''NFL Rules! Bloopers, Pranks, Upsets, and Touchdowns'' (1998)

====Slapshots series====
*''The Stars From Mars'' (1999)
*''The Dream Team (formerly The All-Mars All-Stars)'' (1999)
*''The Face-off Phony'' (2000)
*''Cup Crazy'' (2000)
**4-in-1 ''Slapshots: The Complete Collection'' (2008)

====Nose Pickers series====
*''Nose Pickers from Outer Space!'' (1999)
*''Planet of the Nose Pickers'' (2000)
*'' Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker'' (2000)
*''Invasion of the Nose Pickers '' (2001)
**4-in-1 ''The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection'' (2006)

====Island series====
{{Main|Island (novel series)}}
*''Shipwreck'' (2001)
*''Survival'' (2001)
*''Escape'' (2001)
**3-in-1 ''Island Trilogy Bind-Up Book'' (2006)

====Son of the Mob====
* ''[[Son of the Mob]]'' (Hyperion, 2002)
* ''[[Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle]]'' (2004)

====Dive series====
*''The Discovery'' (2003)
*''The Deep'' (2003)
*''The Danger'' (2003)

====''On the Run'' series====
*''Chasing the Falconers'' (2005)
*''The Fugitive Factor'' (2005)
*''Now You See Them, Now You Don't'' (2005)
*''The Stowaway Solution'' (2005)
*''Public Enemies'' (2005)
*''Hunting the Hunter'' (2006)

====Kidnapped series====
*''The Abduction'' (2006)
*''The Search'' (2006)
*''The Rescue'' (2006)

====''The 39 Clues''====
{{main|The 39 Clues}}
(Series shared and all books written by different authors)
*''[[One False Note]]'' (2008)
*''[[The Emperor's Code]]'' (2010)
*''[[Vespers Rising]]'' (2011)
*''[[The Medusa Plot]]'' (2011)
*''[[Flashpoint (Korman novel)|Flashpoint]]'' (2014)

====Swindle series====
*''[[Swindle (novel)|Swindle]]'' (2008)
*''[[Zoobreak]]'' (2009)
*''[[Framed (Korman novel)|Framed]]'' (2010)
*''Showoff'' (2012)
*''[[Hideout (novel)|Hideout]]'' (2013)
*''Jackpot'' (2014)
*''Unleashed'' (2015)
*''Jingle'' (2016)

====Titanic series====
*''Unsinkable'' (2011)
*''Collision Course'' (2011)
*''S.O.S '' (2011)

====Gifted series====
* ''[[Ungifted]]'' (2012)
* ''Supergifted'' (2018)
* ''Hypergifted'' (2026)

====Everest series====
* ''The Contest'' (2002)
* ''The Climb'' (2002)
* ''The Summit'' (2002)

====Hypnotists series====
* ''The Hypnotists'' (2013)
* ''Memory Maze'' (2014)
* ''The Dragonfly Effect'' (2015)

====Slacker series====
*''Slacker'' (2016)
*''Level 13: A Slacker Novel'' (2019)

====Masterminds series====
* ''Masterminds'' (2015)
* ''Masterminds: Criminal Destiny'' (2016)
* ''Masterminds: Payback'' (2017)

{{div col end}}

==Adaptations==
The ''Monday Night Football Club'' series was adapted as the [[Disney Channel]] TV series ''[[The Jersey]]'', which ran for four years between 1999 and 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fictiondb.com/author/gordon-korman~series~monday-night-football-club~17315.htm|access-date=March 6, 2017|work=FictionDB|title=Monday Night Football Club}}</ref>

''[[Swindle (novel)|Swindle]]'' was adapted into a [[Swindle (2013 film)|movie]] that aired on [[Nickelodeon]] in  [[2013 in film|2013]].{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

Three ''[[Macdonald Hall]]'' series books were TV adapted as the "Bruno & Boots" miniseries, with ''Go Jump in the Pool'', [[This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall]],  and [[The War with Mr. Wizzle]] (as ''The Wizzle War''). It starred [[Jonny Gray (actor)|Jonny Gray]], Callan Potter and [[Peter Keleghan]]. It debuted on April 1, 2016, firstly with ''Go Jump In The Pool'', on the Canadian network YTV.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://kidscreen.com/2015/07/30/ytv-decides-to-go-jump-in-the-pool-with-aircraft/|title=YTV decides to Go Jump in the Pool! with Aircraft|publisher=[[kidscreen]]|date=July 30, 2015|author=Julianna Cummins|access-date=November 9, 2015}}</ref> The other two adaptations aired on YTV the next year on the same day.

Other optioned books include ''No Coins, Please'', ''I Want to Go Home,'' the Island trilogy and ''The Twinkie Squad''.<ref name="gordonkorman.com" />

==Awards and recognition==
* Air Canada Award for promising authors in Canada, at age 17<ref name="stellaraward.ca">{{cite web |first=Niki |last=B. |url=http://www.stellaraward.ca/author.php?id=21 |title=Stellar Award: Gordon Korman |work= StellarAward.ca |access-date=February 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706204129/http://www.stellaraward.ca/author.php?id=21 |archive-date=July 6, 2011 }}</ref>
* 1991 Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Award (chosen by [[Manitoba]] schoolchildren), ''The Zucchini Warriors'' (1988)<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060522124717/http://www.learningwithliterature.ualberta.ca/manyoungreader.htm|archive-date=May 22, 2006|url=http://www.learningwithliterature.ualberta.ca/manyoungreader.htm|title= Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Award (1991–2004).|publisher=Manitoba School Library Audio Visual Association|access-date=March 6, 2017}}</ref>
* 1999 ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, ''The Toilet Paper Tigers'' (1993)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/annotations/1999popularpaperbacks.cfm |title=1999 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults |publisher=[[Young Adult Library Services Association]] (YALSA). American Library Association (ALA) |access-date=February 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605063013/http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/annotations/1999popularpaperbacks.cfm |archive-date=June 5, 2011 }}</ref>
* 2001 [[American Library Association]] Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, ''Losing Joe's Place'' (1990)<ref name="ala.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/2001popularpaperbacks.cfm |title=2001 Popular Paperbacks |publisher=YALSA. ALA |access-date=February 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605063002/http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/popularpaperback/2001popularpaperbacks.cfm |archive-date=June 5, 2011 }}</ref>
* 2001 ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, ''The Chicken Doesn't Skate'' (1993)<ref name="ala.org"/>
* 2003 [[ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults]], ''Son of the Mob'' (2002)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/annotations/2003toptenbest.cfm |title=2003 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults: Annotated List |publisher=YALSA. ALA |access-date=February 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117034635/http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/annotations/2003toptenbest.cfm |archive-date=January 17, 2011 }}</ref>
* 2003 Pacific Northwest Library Association [[Young Reader's Choice Award]] (chosen by Pacific NW schoolchildren), Intermediate Division (Grades 7–9), ''No More Dead Dogs'' (2003)<ref name=PNLA>{{cite web |url=http://www.pnla.org/yrca-past-winners |title=YRCA Past Winners |publisher=Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) |access-date=February 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012133547/http://www.pnla.org/yrca-past-winners |archive-date=October 12, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 2004 ALA Best Books for Young Adults, ''Jake Reinvented'' (2003)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/annotations/2004bestbooks.cfm |title=Best Books for Young Adults Annotated List 2004 |publisher=YALSA. ALA |access-date=February 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117034206/http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/annotations/2004bestbooks.cfm |archive-date=January 17, 2011 }}</ref>
* 2005 PNLA Young Reader's Choice Award – Intermediate, ''Son of the Mob'' (2002)<ref name=PNLA/>
* 2010 PNLA Young Reader's Choice Award – Intermediate, ''Schooled'' (2007)<ref name=PNLA/>
* 2010–2011 Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (by a vote of Arkansas schoolchildren), ''Swindle'' (2008)<ref name=ASL/><ref name=ASLwinners/>
*2011–2012 Charlie May Simon Award, ''Zoobreak'' (2009)<ref name=ASL>{{cite web |title=Charlie May Simon Award (Grades 4–6) |url=http://www.library.arkansas.gov/ChildrensBookAwards/Pages/CharlieMaySimonAward.aspx |publisher=Arkansas State Library (ASL) |access-date=February 20, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315215447/http://www.library.arkansas.gov/ChildrensBookAwards/Pages/CharlieMaySimonAward.aspx |archive-date=March 15, 2014 }}</ref><ref name=ASLwinners>[http://www.library.arkansas.gov/ChildrensBookAwards/Documents/Winners-%20Simon%20Award%20Winners-%20web.pdf "Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award Winners, 1971 to Current"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203134535/http://www.library.arkansas.gov/ChildrensBookAwards/Documents/Winners-%20Simon%20Award%20Winners-%20web.pdf |date=December 3, 2013 }}. ASL. Retrieved February 20, 2014.</ref>
*2016 [[Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature]]<ref>James D. Watts Jr., [http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/scene/arts/author-gordon-korman-s-career-started-in-seventh-grade/article_43d396b4-f0ef-5586-a5a0-0235dede076c.html "Author Gordon Korman's career started in seventh grade"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', May 5, 2016.</ref>
*2020 Young Hoosier Book Award (Intermediate), ''Restart'' (2017)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Young Hoosier Book Award|url=https://www.ilfonline.org/page/yhba|access-date=March 15, 2021|archive-date=March 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309054109/http://www.ilfonline.org/page/yhba|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*2024 [[Young Reader's Choice Award]] (Junior), ''Unplugged'' (2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Young Reader's Choice Award 2024 |url=https://flatheadcountylibrary.org/about-us/library-blog/young-readers-choice-award-2024/ |publisher=[[Flathead County, Montana|Flathead County Library]] |access-date=10 October 2025}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal bar |Children's literature}}

==References==
{{Reflist|25em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Gordon Korman}}
{{Library resources box|about=yes|by=yes}}
* {{official website}}
* {{ISFDB name|110829}}
* {{LCAuth|n78072170|Gordon Korman|91|}}

{{Gordon Korman}}
{{39 Clues}}
{{Macdonald Hall Series}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Korman, Gordon}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Canadian children's writers]]
[[Category:Child writers]]
[[Category:People from Côte Saint-Luc]]
[[Category:People from Thornhill, Ontario]]
[[Category:New York University alumni]]
[[Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Canadian expatriate writers in the United States]]
[[Category:Forest of Reading Award winners]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]