Dear Chippewa Valley bookworms and writerly types: Please join us in collectively congratulating a prolific author that you probably didn’t even know lives in the Chippewa Valley, as he recently won the 2009 Newbery Medal: Neil Gaiman. We’ve known the whereabouts of the English sci-fi and fantasy writer (MirrorMask and The Sandman) for several years, and fans of his probably had suspicions after reading American Gods, which is set largely in Wisconsin and features a key scene that takes place at The House on the Rock in Spring Green. But, as you may have suspected, there’s a reason why his residence isn’t general knowledge: he likes his privacy. So much so that fan sites have him only roughly pinned to an Addams Family-type home in an area roughly 75 miles west of Minneapolis (hint: it rhymes with Shenomonie.) Over the years, Volume One’s interest in contacting him has been met with his desire for privacy, so we’re going to respect that. But hey, we can still celebrate the success of a local, right? His novel The Graveyard Book, an homage to The Jungle Book (a young boy is raised by the inhabitants of a graveyard), earned the 2009 Newbery Medal. Along with the Caldecott, the Newbery is the most prestigious honor for an outstanding children’s author. To further celebrate this innovative writer, think about visiting the movie adaptation of his book Coraline (which opens Feb. 6), but don’t scare him away by going to his house. Not cool.