Photo: Matthew C. Wright / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Louis Sachar is one of those authors I credit with quietly turning reluctant kids into readers. Holes is the obvious calling card, sweeping the 1998 National Book Award and the 1999 Newbery, but what gets me is the Wayside School books, which are funnier and stranger than children's literature usually dares to be. I find it telling that he trained as a lawyer at Berkeley and then walked away to write absurdist stories about a school accidentally built sideways. That's a man who clearly trusts his own sense of humor. The awards confirm it, but the staying power on kids' shelves says more.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Louis Sachar
- Name (Japanese)
- ルイス・サッカー
- Reading
- るいす・さっかー
- Born
- March 20, 1954 (age 72)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Horse
- Origin
- East Meadow, New York, United States
- Occupation
- writer / screenwriter / children's writer / lawyer / young adult author
2. Background
- University
- University of California, Berkeley
Awards & achievements
- 2000 Zilveren Zoen
- 1999 Newbery Medal
- 1998 National Book Award
- 2007 Schneider Family Book Award
- 2003 Premio Bernard Versele
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | book | — | |
| Notable work | Sideway Stories from Wayside School | — | |
| Notable work | Wayside School is Falling Down | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Louis Sachar born?
Born March 20, 1954 (age 72).
Where is Louis Sachar from?
Louis Sachar is from East Meadow, New York, United States.
What does Louis Sachar do?
Louis Sachar works as writer, screenwriter, children's writer, lawyer, young adult author.
What is Louis Sachar known for?
Notable works include book, Sideway Stories from Wayside School, Wayside School is Falling Down.
Writer — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.