Notable Neighbor: Matt Eicheldinger

Matt Eicheldinger, a Bloomington resident of 12 years and a former Oak Grove Middle School teacher, was working at Wayzata when his book, 15 years in the making, was picked up by Andrews McMeel Publishing, which has published  well-known works like “Calvin and Hobbes,” “Big Nate” and “Peanuts.”

“This felt like a full circle moment,” Eicheldinger said. “I grew up reading only ‘Calvin and Hobbes’.”

In 2009 when he started teaching, Eicheldinger knew he wanted to create a space for his students to share about themselves and know that their story mattered.

As incentive, Eicheldinger began telling unique, silly and funny stories about himself, their teacher. The stories were so successful, Eicheldinger gathered them into a book titled, “Matt Sprouts and the Curse of the Ten Broken Toes.”

After 10 years and more than 200 rejections, Eicheldinger self-published the book in 2021. After selling thousands of copies and winning numerous indie awards, Eicheldinger landed the dream—a multi-book publishing deal to make “Matt Sprouts” into a series.

Eicheldinger’s first book in the series is being released this month. The second book will be released in September. To watch an interview with Eicheldinger, visit blm.mn/eich.