The first African American recipient of the Newbery Medal for children's literature, he is best known for works such as Bud, Not Buddy and The Watsons Go to Birmingham ' 1963. His other award-winning books include Elijah of Buxton and The Mighty Miss Malone. He published his first book in 1999. That same year, he graduated from the University of Michigan-Flint. Prior to earning his college degree and becoming an acclaimed author of children's fiction, he worked for over a decade on a factory assembly line in his native Michigan.