As an economics major at the University of California, writing books for children was perhaps the last thing on Louis Sachar's mind. All that changed, however, when he took a job as a teacher's aide in a local elementary school. Hoping only to make up a few college credits, Sachar ended up gaining the inspiration for a successful career as an author.
Inspired by the children he worked with, Sachar jotted down a series of offbeat and funny stories about an imaginary place called Wayside School. He didn't expect it's publication, but it was accepted by a publisher just as he began law school. For a long time Sachar couldn't decide whether to be a writer or a lawyer, but in 1989 he finally turned to writing full time. As well as the books he wrote about Wayside School, Sachar wrote the popular Marvin Redpost series, and many stand-alone books. While many of his works have won awards, his most popular and successful book to date has been Holes, which won the Newbery medal. The book, also made into a successful film, tells a complex story, mixing social commentary with entertaining storytelling, as do many of other Sachar's works.
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