Christopher Paul Curtis was born May 10, 1953 in Flint Michigan. He is the oldest of five siblings. His father was a doctor and his mother was a homemaker. Christopher was a great reader throughout school and his favorite book was To Kill a Mockingbird. Once he got older he couldn't find books that were about him. After high school, Christopher went to work at the Fisher Body Plant. He worked full time on the assembly line for thirteen years in what he referred to as the jungle. He would hang doors on Buick cars. At night he went to college in order to get a degree in Political Science. He received prizes for some of his major essays that were early drafts to his book The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963. While working at the assembly line he and his partner decided to alternate hanging doors. During his breaks, Christopher would write. He finished the manuscript to his first novel,The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963, at the public library. He submitted the manuscript to a national contest for unpublished authors. This became his first book and became a Newbery Honor, as well as a Coretta Scott King Honor book, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, and was the only book for young readers to make The New York Times list of top 100 books of the year. The next book he published was Bud, Not Buddy. This book won a Newbery Medal. Most of his characters are influenced by his family members and resemble some of his own character traits. Christopher graduated from the University of Michigan in 2000 with a degree in Political Science. He currently lives in Canada with his wife, Habon. They have three children. Steven, Cydney, and Ayaan. He enjoys playing basketball, collecting old record albums, and writing.
