Dori Hillestad Butler

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Dori Hillestad Butler
Born (1965-08-25) August 25, 1965 (age 58)
Fairmont, Minnesota, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Bemidji State University
University of Minnesota
Hamline University
SpouseBob Butler
Children2

Dori Hillestad Butler (born August 25, 1965 in Fairmont, Minnesota) [1] is an American author of more than 40 children's books, as well as magazine stories, plays and educational materials. Her first book, The Great Tooth Fairy Rip-Off, was published in 1997. She is known particularly for The Truth about Truman School , a 2008 young adult title focusing on the subject of cyber bullying, [2] and for My Mom's Having a Baby (illustrated by Carol Thompson), which in 2011 appeared on the American Library Association's list of most commonly challenged books in the United States for its portrayal of conception and childbirth. [3] Her 2010 mystery title, Buddy Files: Case of the Last Boy, won the 2011 Edgar Award for the best juvenile mystery published in 2010. Before becoming a children's author, Butler worked for three years as a page at a library. [4]

Contents

Biography

Butler was born August 25, 1965, in Fairmont, Minnesota to John and Donna Hillestad. [1]

She attended Bemidji State University from 1983 to 1985, University of Minnesota from 1985 to 1986, and Hamline University from 1986 to 1987. [1]

Butler is married to Bob Butler, with whom she has two children: Ben and Artemis. They live in Kirkland, Washington. [5]

Censorship

Butler's My Mom's Having A Baby! book has frequently been the source of censorship due to inclusions of nudity and sex education, as well as being considered "sexually explicit" and "unsuited to age group." [6]

According to the American Library Association, it was the 58th most banned and challenged book in the United States between 2010 and 2019. [7] In 2011, it was the fourth most banned and challenged book in the country. [6]

Awards and honors

A total of fourteen of Butler's books are Junior Library Guild (JLG) books, including eight of her King & Kayla books: The Case of the Missing Dog Treats (2017), [8] The Case of the Secret Code (2017), [9] The Case of the Mysterious Mouse (2017), [10] The Case of the Lost Tooth (2018), [11] The Case of Found Fred (2019), [12] The Case of the Unhappy Neighbor (2020), [13] The Case of the Gold Ring (2021), [14] and The Case of the Lost Library Book (2022). [15] The following are also JLG books: Dear Beast (2020), [16] Mr. Summerling's Secret Code (2021), [17] The Pet Parade (2021), [18] The Hidden Room (2021), [19] Summer Island (2021), [20] and The Final Treasure (2022). [21]

King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats was named one of the best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library, [8] as was King & Kayla and the Case of the Mysterious Mouse [10] and King & Kayla and the Case of Found Fred. [12]

Awards for Butler's writing
YearTitleAwardResultRef.
2005My Mom’s Having a Baby! Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for YouthSelection [22]
2011Buddy Files: Case of the Last Boy Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Winner [23]
2017King & Kayla and the Case of the Secret Code Cybils Award for Easy ReadersWinner [24]
2018King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats ALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection [25]
Theodor S. Geisel Award Honor [25] [26]
2019King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth ALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection [27]
Theodor S. Geisel Award Honor [27] [28]
2020King & Kayla and the Case of the Unhappy Neighbor Cybils Award for Easy ReadersFinalist [29]

Publications

Standalone books

Buddy Files series

The Buddy Files are illustrated by Jeremy Tugeau and published by Albert Whitman Company.

  1. The Case of the Lost Boy (2010)
  2. The Case of the Mixed-Up Mutts (2010)
  3. The Case of the Missing Family (2010)
  4. The Case of the Fire Alarm (2011)
  5. The Case of the Library Monster (2011)
  6. The Case of the School Ghost (2012)

Dear Beast series

The Dear Beast series is illustrated by Kevan Atteberr and published by Holiday House.

  1. Dear Beast (2020)
  2. The Pet Parade (2021)
  3. Someone Is Missing! (2022)
  4. Simon Sleeps Over (2022)

The Haunted Library series

The Haunted Library series is illustrated by Aurore Damant and published by Grosset & Dunlap.

  1. The Haunted Library (2014)
  2. The Ghost in the Attic (2014)
  3. The Ghost Backstage (2014)
  4. The Five O'Clock Ghost (2015)
  5. The Secret Room (2015)
  6. The Ghost at the Fire Station (2015)
  7. The Ghost in the Tree House (2016)
  8. The Hide-and-Seek Ghost (2016)
  9. The Ghosts at the Movie Theater (2017)
  10. The Underground Ghosts: A Super Special (2017)

King & Kayla series

The King & Kayla books are illustrated by Nancy Meyers and published by Peachtree Publishers.

  1. King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats (2017)
  2. King & Kayla and the Case of the Secret Code (2017)
  3. King & Kayla and the Case of the Mysterious Mouse (2017)
  4. King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth (2018)
  5. King & Kayla and the Case of Found Fred (2019)
  6. King & Kayla and the Case of the Unhappy Neighbor (2020)
  7. King & Kayla and the Case of the Gold Ring (2021)
  8. King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Library Book (2022)
  9. King & Kayla and the Case of the Cat Hunt (2023)

The Treasure Troop series

The Treasure Troop series is illustrated by Tim Budgen and published by Penguin Workshop.

  1. Mr. Summerling's Secret Code (2021)
  2. The Hidden Room (2021)
  3. Summer Island (2021)
  4. The Final Treasure (2021)

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<i>My Moms Having a Baby</i> (book)

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Butler, Dori Hillestad 1965-". Encyclopedia.com . Archived from the original on 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  2. ↑ Fleishhacker, Joy (2013-02-05). "Choice Books to Spark Discussion on Bullying". School Library Journal . Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  3. ↑ "A Wacky Book Challenge". One Writer's Journey. 2011-03-03. Archived from the original on 2018-07-11. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  4. ↑ "Dori Hillestad Butler's Linkedin profile".
  5. ↑ "Author Bio". Dori Hillestad Butler. Archived from the original on 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  6. 1 2 "Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists". American Library Association . 2013-03-26. Archived from the original on 2017-07-28. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  7. ↑ "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019". American Library Association . 2020-09-09. Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  8. 1 2 "King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  9. ↑ "King & Kayla and the Case of the Secret Code by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  10. 1 2 "King & Kayla and the Case of the Mysterious Mouse by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  11. ↑ "King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  12. 1 2 "King & Kayla and the Case of Found Fred by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  13. ↑ "King & Kayla and the Case of the Unhappy Neighbor by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  14. ↑ "King & Kayla and the Case of the Gold Ring by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  15. ↑ "King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Library Book by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  16. ↑ "Dear Beast by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  17. ↑ "Treasure Troop #1: Mr. Summerling's Secret Code by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  18. ↑ "The Pet Parade: Dear Beast #2 by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2022-01-25. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  19. ↑ "The Hidden Room: The Treasure Troop #2 by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  20. ↑ "Summer Island: The Treasure Troop Book #3 by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2022-09-24. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  21. ↑ "The Final Treasure: Treasure Troop Book #4 by Dori Hillestad Butler". Junior Library Guild . Archived from the original on 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  22. ↑ "Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth | Awards & Grants". American Library Association . Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  23. ↑ "All Winners". Edgar® Awards Info & Database. Archived from the original on 2023-03-19. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  24. ↑ "2017 Cybils Winners". Children's and Young Adult Book Lover's Literary Awards. Archived from the original on 2023-03-25. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  25. 1 2 "King and Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats". Association for Library Service to Children . Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  26. ↑ "King & Kayla and the Case of the Missing Dog Treats | Awards & Grants". American Library Association . 2018-02-13. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  27. 1 2 "King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth". Association for Library Service to Children . Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  28. ↑ Communications and Marketing Office (2019-01-28). "Corey R. Tabor wins Geisel Award for "Fox the Tiger"". American Library Association . Archived from the original on 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  29. ↑ "2020 Cybils Finalists". Archived from the original on 2022-11-05. Retrieved 2023-03-27.


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