Jerry Spinelli was born on February 1, 1941 he is an American writer of children's novels that feature adolescence and early adulthood. He is best known for Maniac Magee and Wringer. Spinelli spent his time writing short stories and was the editor of the college literary magazine, The Mercury.he became a writer and editor for a department store magazine. The next two decades, he spent his time working "normal jobs" during the day so that he had the energy to write fiction in his free time. He found himself writing during lunch breaks, on weekends, and after dinner.