Scott Ingram (1948–) Biography

(W. Scott Ingram)

Personal

Born 1948, in Schenectady, NY; Education: University of Connecticut, B.A.; Wesleyan University, M.A. Hobbies and other interests: Bicycling, guitar.

Addresses

Office—245 Long Hill Rd., Middletown, CT 06457.

Career

Weekly Reader Corp., Middletown, CT, managing editor, 1979–. Member of Board of Education, Portland, CT.

Honors Awards

Educational Press Awards, 1985, 1988, 1994, 1995.

Writings

JUVENILE NONFICTION

Bloody Waters: Terrorizing Shark Tales, illustrated by Ron Rundo, Lowell House, 1995.

Beast: Hair-Raising Horror Stories, illustrated by Brian W. Dow, Lowell House (Los Angeles, CA), 1996.

More Scary Stories for Stormy Nights, illustrated by Eric Angeloch, Lowell House (Los Angeles, CA), 1996.

Scary Shark Stories, illustrated by Eric Angeloch, Lowell House (Los Angeles, CA), 1997.

Maggot Madness!, illustrated by Ginny Pruitt, Random House (New York, NY), 1997.

(As W. Scott Ingram) Oregon, Children's Press (New York, NY), 2000.

The Battle of Yorktown ("Triangle Histories of the Revolutionary War" series), Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2002.

(As W. Scott Ingram) The Battle of Fredericksburg ("Triangle Histories of the Revolutionary War" series), Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2002.

(As W. Scott Ingram) Aaron Burr and the Young Nation ("Notorious Americans and Their Times" series), Blackbirch Press (Woodbridge, CT), 2002.

John Paul Jones, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2002.

(As W. Scott Ingram) Jefferson Davis, Blackbirch Press (Woodbridge, CT), 2002.

George Washington, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Kansas ("From Sea to Shining Sea" series), Children's Press (New York, NY), 2003.

Frank Lloyd Wright, Raintree (Chicago, IL), 2003.

(With Christina M. Girod) The Indian Americans ("Immigrants in America" series), Lucent Books (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Battle of Valcour Bay ("Triangle Histories of the Revolutionary War" series), Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Battle of Long Island ("Triangle Histories of the Revolutionary War" series), Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Battle of Bunker Hill ("Triangle Histories of the Revolutionary War" series), Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

Paul Revere, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Panama Canal ("Building World Landmarks" series), Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

Nicolaus Copernicus: Father of Modern Astronomy ("Giants of Science" series), Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

King George III, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2004.

The Song Dynasty ("Life during the Great Civilizations" series), Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster ("Environmental Disasters" series), Facts on File (New York, NY), 2005.

A Basketball All-Star, Heinemann Library (Chicago, IL), 2005.

The 1963 Civil Rights March ("Landmark Events in American History" series), World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2005.

Tsunami!: The 1946 Hilo Wave of Terror ("X-treme Disasters That Changed America" series), Bearport Pub. (New York, NY), 2005.

The Stock Market Crash of 1929 ("Landmark Events in American History" series), World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2005.

(As W. Scott Ingram) Polish Immigrants ("Immigration to the United States" series), Facts on File (New York, NY) 2005.

(As W. Scott Ingram) Japanese Immigrants ("Immigration to the United States" series), Facts on File (New York, NY) 2005.

(As W. Scott Ingram) Greek Immigrants ("Immigration to the United States" series), Facts on File (New York, NY) 2005.

A Football All-Pro ("Making of a Champion" series), Heinemann Library (Chicago, IL), 2005.

Want Fries with That?: Obesity and the Supersizing of America, Franklin Watts (New York, NY), 2006.

Dolphins ("Smart Animals!" series), Bearport Pub. (New York, NY), 2006.

"AMERICA'S LEADERS" SERIES

The Vice President of the United States, Thomson Gale (San Diego, CA), 2002.

The Secretary of Defense, Thomson Gale (San Diego, CA), 2002.

The President of the United States, Thomson Gale (San Diego, CA), 2002.

The FBI Director, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Secretary of Commerce, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The National Security Adviser, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Secretary of Treasury, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Secretary of Labor, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

The Postmaster General, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

"HISTORY'S VILLAINS" SERIES

Francisco Pizarro, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Adolf Hitler, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Joseph Stalin, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Attila the Hun, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Kim Il Sung, Blackbirch Press (San Diego, CA), 2004.

"LIBRARY OF THE STATES" SERIES: AS W. SCOTT INGRAM

California: The Golden State, World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2002.

Missouri: The Show-Me State, World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2002.

Kansas: The Sunflower State, World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2002.

Pennsylvania: The Keystone State, World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2002.

Oregon: The Beaver State, World Almanac Library (Milwaukee, WI), 2002.

"EVENTS THAT SHAPED AMERICA" SERIES

(With Sabrina Crewe) The Writing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," Gareth Stevens (Milwaukee, WI), 2005.

(With Sabrina Crewe) The Stock Market Crash of 1929, Gareth Stevens (Milwaukee, WI), 2005.

(With Sabrina Crewe) The 1963 Civil Rights March, Gareth Stevens (Milwaukee, WI), 2005.

Part of the "Life during Great Civilizations" series, Ingram's The Song Dynasty profiles China's history between 960 and 1279.

Sidelights

Working as a managing editor at the company that publishes Weekly Reader, an age-graded newspaper for children that is distributed in elementary classrooms throughout the United States since the late 1920s, Scott Ingram has gained a familiarity with the most effective way to explain world events to younger readers. As the prolific author of nonfiction titles ranging from The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, The Song Dynasty, and A Basketball All-Star to the books in the "Events That Shaped America" and "History's Villains" series, he conveys a wealth of information in a clear, well-organized text that reflects his personal fascination with world events. Discussing Nicolaus Copernicus: Father of Modern Astronomy, Ingram's biography of the sixteenth-century Polish mathematician who first theorized, correctly, that the Earth moves around the Sun, School Library Journal reviewer Ann Joslin praised the book as "clearly written biography," noting that the author includes a discussion of "the forces that impacted the astronomer's life and his work."

Several of Ingram's books focus on the history of the American colonies. Part of the "Triangle Histories of the Revolutionary War" series, The Battle of Long Is-In Nicolaus Copernicus readers follow the life of the noted astronomer who lived in this monastery in Frombork, Poland, during the early sixteenth century.land, The Battle of Yorktown, and The Battle of Bunker Hill feature "an unbiased reporting of the war" that balances British and colonial strategies and battle goals, according to Kristina Aaronson in School Library Journal. Noting Ingram's inclusion of quotes from contemporary commentators, Dona Ratteree wrote in the same periodical that the books are "enlivened with sprightly writing" and enhanced by original documents, paintings, and other graphics to the sustain interest of young scholars. Reviewing Ingram's Kim Il Sung, part of the "History's Villains" series, School Library Journal reviewer Ann G. Brouse dubbed the book a "fascinating, horrifying" study of the North Korean dictator who drew his country into the Korean War, increasing isolation, and financial difficulties through his rigid communist ideology and the cult of personality that dubbed him the "Great Leader." In Booklist, Ed Sullivan praised the series as "clearly written and well organized," citing their inclusion of a glossary, chronology, and list of additional sources.

Ingram once told SATA: "Reading and writing have always been at the center of my life. People who knew me thirty years ago would not be surprised to learn that I make my living with language. As an author, editor, and parent I get a great deal of enjoyment from passing my scary stories under my kids' stern eyes and seeing them make faces as they read something icky that I have invented.

"Oddly enough, I think writing gross stuff has increased my stature with my kids; before this, I was just a regular old dad who wrote news stories for Weekly Reader. Now that they know characters in my stories are filled with worms or eaten by sharks, they think I'm really onto something—they actually talk about my work with their friends. Ahhh … success."