Carol Plum-Ucci | |
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Born | Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | August 16, 1957
Occupation | Novelist, essayist |
Genre | Young Adult literature |
Notable works | The Body of Christopher creed |
Carol Plum-Ucci (born August 16, 1957 in Atlantic City, New Jersey) is a young adult novelist and essayist. Plum-Ucci's most famous work to date is The Body of Christopher Creed , for which she won a Michael L. Printz Award in 2002 and was named a Finalist to the Edgar Allan Poe Award. Describing her subjects as "the most common, timeless, and most heart-felt teenagers," Plum-Ucci is widely recognized for her use of the South Jersey shore to set scenes for engaging characters embracing suspense themes.
Plum-Ucci was born to Neil Plum, owner of Plum Funeral Homes and a funeral home singer, and teacher Ellen Ingersoll Plum. [1] [2] As Plum-Ucci grew up she knew she wanted to write books. The Body of Christopher Creed was her "cloud song." Plum-Ucci grew up on the barrier island of Brigantine, New Jersey, where she attended the public schools until the age of thirteen. [3] She then went to Atlantic City Friends’ School, where her grandmother, Neva Ingersoll, taught advanced high school mathematics. She graduated from Holy Spirit High School in 1975. Her father, Neil Plum, and her paternal grandmother, Ads Plum, partnered in the funeral business, owning Plum Funeral Homes in Brigantine, Atlantic City, and Ventnor. Plum-Ucci largely attributes her writer's imagination to lying awake at night, above the Brigantine funeral parlor, listening to the sounds downstairs.
She received her bachelor's in communication from Purdue University in 1979. She served as feature editor of the Purdue Exponent , a two-year post. After Purdue, Plum-Ucci was a freelance writer in the Chicago area for several years. She became Assistant to the Producer of the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City in 1984. She later served as Staff Writer and Director of Publications of the Miss America Organization and Miss America Scholarship Foundation, producing up to a dozen publications a year for volunteers and participants. Plum-Ucci retired in 1999, two months after receiving her first advance on royalties from The Body of Christopher Creed from Harcourt—the first novel she sold.
She has been a resident of Absecon, New Jersey. [3]
Atlantic County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 15th-most-populous county, with a population of 274,534, a drop of 15 from the 2010 census count of 274,549. Its county seat is the Mays Landing section of Hamilton Township. The county is part of the Jersey Shore and of the South Jersey region of the state.
Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Absecon is a city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,137, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 726 (+8.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,411, which in turn reflected an increase of 773 (+10.1%) from the 7,638 counted in the 2000 census. The city, and all of Atlantic County, is part of the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Brigantine is a city in Atlantic County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 7,716, a decrease of 1,734 (−18.3%) from the 2010 census count of 9,450, which in turn reflected a decline of 3,144 (−25.0%) from the 12,594 counted in the 2000 census. The city, and all of Atlantic County, is part of the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Galloway Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, and a growing edge city to neighboring Atlantic City. At 114.49 square miles (296.5 km2) of total area of land and water, Galloway Township is the largest municipality in the state. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 37,813, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 464 (+1.2%) from the 2010 census count of 37,349, which in turn reflected an increase of 6,140 (+19.7%) from the 31,209 counted in the 2000 census.
Margate City is a city situated on the Jersey Shore on Absecon Island, within Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, on the Atlantic Ocean shoreline. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 5,317, a decrease of 1,037 (−16.3%) from the 2010 census count of 6,354, which in turn had reflected a decline of 1,839 (−22.4%) from the 8,193 counted in the 2000 census. Geographically, the city, and all of Atlantic County, is part of the South Jersey region of the state and of the Atlantic City-Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which in turn is included in the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Ventnor City is a city situated on the Jersey Shore on Absecon Island, within Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,210, a decrease of 1,440 (−13.5%) from the 2010 census count of 10,650, which in turn reflected a decrease of 2,260 (−17.5%) from the 12,910 counted in the 2000 census. The city, and all of Atlantic County, is part of the Atlantic City–Hammonton metropolitan statistical area, which is part of the Philadelphia–Wilmington–Camden, PA–NJ–DE–MD combined statistical area, also known as the Delaware Valley or Philadelphia metropolitan area.
Pleasantville is a city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 20,629, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 380 (+1.9%) from the 2010 census count of 20,249, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,237 (+6.5%) from the 19,012 counted in the 2000 census.
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Tammy Lee Grimes was an American film and stage actress and singer.
Absecon Island is a barrier island located on the South Jersey Shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. On the island from north to south are the resort communities of Atlantic City, Ventnor City, Margate City, and Longport, with a total population among the four communities of 53,917 as of the 2020 United States census. The island ends at Absecon Inlet to the north and Great Egg Harbor Inlet to the south.
Holy Spirit High School is a Roman Catholic preparatory school located in Absecon in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, just outside Atlantic City. The school is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Camden. The school's motto is Caritas Omnia Vincit – which translates to 'love conquers all things'. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools since 1971; The school's accreditation status was extended for seven years in Fall 2018.
The Miss Michigan competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Michigan in the Miss America pageant. Michigan has won the Miss America crown on five occasions.
The Miss New Jersey competition is an annual pageant held to select the representative for the state of New Jersey in the Miss America pageant.
U.S. Route 30 is a U.S. highway running from Astoria, Oregon east to Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the U.S. state of New Jersey, US 30 runs 58.26 miles (93.76 km) from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge at the Delaware River in Camden, Camden County, while concurrent with Interstate 676 (I-676), southeast to Virginia Avenue in Atlantic City, Atlantic County. Most of the route in New Jersey is known as the White Horse Pike and is four lanes wide. The road runs through mostly developed areas in Camden County, with surroundings becoming more rural as the road approaches Atlantic County. US 30 runs through several towns including Collingswood, Berlin, Hammonton, Egg Harbor City, and Absecon.
Absecon Inlet is a narrow strait on the southeastern coast of New Jersey, United States.
The Body of Christopher Creed is a young adult novel by Carol Plum-Ucci. It tells the story of a high school student whose life is unravelled when he tries to solve the mystery of a classmate's sudden disappearance. The novel won the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award.
The Brigantine Bridge is a vehicular bridge over Absecon Inlet in Atlantic County, New Jersey. It is located just west of the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic City and the resort community of Brigantine, providing the only road access to Brigantine Island. It is owned and operated by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT). The bridge carries New Jersey Route 87, which then becomes County Route 638 at its northern end. At its southern end it connects with the Atlantic City–Brigantine Connector.
Brittany Lee Lewis is an activist, television personality, political commentator, disc jockey (DJ), Miss Delaware 2014, and Miss Black America 2017. She is a native of Brigantine, New Jersey. Lewis was crowned the 49th Miss Black America in 2017 and she competed in the Miss America Pageant as Miss Delaware in 2014. She is also a regular commentator on RT News, Roland Martin Show, Fox5DC, and various Sinclair Broadcasting programs.
Amy Kennedy is an American educator, mental health advocate, and former political candidate from the state of New Jersey. She was the Democratic Party nominee in the 2020 elections to represent New Jersey's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives losing to incumbent Jeff Van Drew.