What does an award-winning author who spends his mornings frolicking with a 650-pound pet black bear have in common with homeless children?
A rough beginning."Every child in the world feels like no one has ever been as misunderstood and picked on as they are," said Ben Mikaelsen, who spoke to students at Marilyn Treshow Elementary School, formerly known as the School with No Name, on Friday.
Mikaelsen was in Salt Lake City for the Children's Book Festival at Murray High School, but because the students at the shelter school would not be able to attend the event, the author agreed to donate a seminar just for them. The Deseret News was a co-sponsor of the book festival, held Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
"I was born and raised in Bolivia and didn't go to school until I was in the fourth grade," Mikaelsen told the students.
Even though his first language was Spanish, Mikaelsen didn't fit in with the Bolivian children in his school.
"I was the only gringo, and I got picked on and beat up a lot," he said. "One time I smeared shoe polish all over my face, trying to make my skin darker. But then I was just a gringo with shoe polish all over my face."
Mikaelsen found solace in writing stories, even though his language skills were lacking because of limited schooling. He told the children he would hide under his bedcovers at night with paper, a pencil and a flashlight.
"I loved writing. I could put anything I wanted on a piece of paper, and it wouldn't tease me," he said.
When Mikaelsen's parents moved to Minnesota when he was almost 12, the teasing didn't go away.
"There, I was the dumb kid," he said because he couldn't play football and was still behind in school.
He poured his energy into solitary hobbies like cliff-diving and parachuting and earned a pilot's license at 16.
He also developed a deep love for animals.
Mikaelsen credits his writing career to his first English professor in college, who told him he was a great storyteller, even though he wasn't a great student.
Today, Mikaelsen lives with his wife, Melanie, in a log cabin near Bozeman, Mont. They adopted and raised a black bear, who after being declawed at a research laboratory as a cub was destined to be euthanized.
Mikaelsen's novels for children include "Rescue Josh McGuire," "Sparrow Hawk Red," "Stranded," "Countdown" and "Petey."
He's the winner of the International Reading Association Award and the Western Writer's Golden Spur Award.
Mikaelsen, who gives motivational seminars for children all over the country, said he didn't feel he had to adapt his presentation for children who are homeless.
"All children have some feelings of aloneness, so the message is the same," he said.
Teacher Barbara Stevens said her students collectively have a lot of challenges that other kids don't have.
"When I heard he was coming, I thought his story would be of such benefit to these kids," she said.
Stevens says people in the community call the shelter school daily offering to help.
"We want to bring positive role models into the classroom, and Ben Mikaelsen is the first person to accept the invitation," she said. "It's the best way I know for people to help us."
You can reach Maria Titze by e-mail at mtitze@desnews.com