About Michael O. Tunnell
Born 1950. Michael O. Tunnell is an American writer, novelist, educator, critic and children's writer.
Michael O. Tunnell (born June 14, 1950) is an American children's writer and educator. He was the department chair of children's literature at Brigham Young University (BYU), but recently retired. He has published several books on children's literature, especially on the work of Lloyd Alexander. Although he was born in Nocona, Texas, he was raised in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. When he was a teenager, his family moved back to the United States to Vernal, Utah. He was raised by his grandparents, and his grandmother would read to him every day. He began studying law in college, until he visited an elementary school one day for his job at a car dealership. He realized that he wanted to pursue education instead. As a professor he conducts research at BYU. Among his interests are children's literature and the effects it has on learning history. Tunnell's first novel published was School Spirits, which drew from his childhood during the 1950s.
Selected works
Articles "Profile: Eilonwy of the Red-gold Hair", Language Arts 66.5 (September 1989), pp. 558– "The Double-Edged Sword: Fantasy and Censorship", Language Arts 71.8 (1994), pp. 606–12 "The Remarkable Journey of Lloyd Alexander", School Library Journal (2007), pp. 64–65 "The Origins and History of American Children's Literature", The Reading Teacher 62.2 (2013), pp. 80–86
Books The Prydain Companion: A Reference Guide to Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles (1989) Lloyd Alexander: A Bio-bibliography (1991) (with James S. Jacobs) The Story of Ourselves: Teaching History Through Children's Literature (1992) (with Richard Ammon) The Joke's on George (1993) Chinook! (1993) Beauty and the Beastly Children (1993) Children's Literature, Briefly, 1st ed. with CD-ROM (1996), by James S. Jacobs and Tunnell Mailing May (1997) School Spirits (1997) Halloween Pie (1999) Brothers in Valor (2001) Children's Literature: Engaging Teachers and Children in Good Books, 1st ed. with CD-ROM (2002), by Daniel L. Darigan, Tunnell, and Jacobs, Wishing Moon (2004) Moon Without Magic (2007) Children's Literature, Briefly, 4th ed. (2008), by Tunnell and Jacobs, Wishes on the Moon (2009) Candy Bomber (2010) Children's Literature, Briefly, 7th ed. (forthcoming August 2022), by Young, Bryan, Jacobs, and Tunnell,
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Important facts
People in Michael O. Tunnell's life
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Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Michael O. Tunnell's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Michael O. Tunnell?
American writer, children's literature critic, professor of children's literature and teacher education
When was Michael O. Tunnell born?
Michael O. Tunnell was born in 1950.
What is Michael O. Tunnell's occupation?
Michael O. Tunnell is a writer, novelist, educator, critic and children's writer.
What nationality is Michael O. Tunnell?
Michael O. Tunnell is American.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: Michael O. Tunnell
· DBpedia: Michael O. Tunnell
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Michael O. Tunnell. https://biography.guide/michael-o-tunnell/
MLA: "Michael O. Tunnell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/michael-o-tunnell/.
Chicago: "Michael O. Tunnell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/michael-o-tunnell/.
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