David Karp
The Mastermind behind Tumblr
From the Series Gateway Biographies
What’s more popular than Tumblr? This microblogging site has taken the Web by storm since its founding in 2007. Not much can top it when it comes to capturing its fans’ imaginations, except for perhaps its creator, David Karp.
Karp developed Tumblr after he tried to start a blog and found the process daunting. With most platforms, a blogger faces a huge, empty text box that begs to be filled with words. It was intimidating for a guy who’d never blogged before. Karp had the idea for tumblelogging—creating short blog posts—and built Tumblr as a platform. It lets users easily post both text and images, making Tumblr highly visual and expressive.
Creating a different way to blog came naturally to Karp, who never does things by the book. At fifteen, he dropped out of school. At seventeen, he moved to Tokyo, holing up with a computer and fine-tuning his tech skills. He returned to the states to build a business—but to do that, he stretched the truth. He used a deep voice on the phone with potential clients so they wouldn’t guess how young he was. He didn’t tell anyone how little experience he had. Yet people could see he had a good thing going with Tumblr. The company quickly found support and grew into what it is today: a groundbreaking site for connection and creation. And as the mastermind behind it, Karp is sure to remain a figure to watch.
| Format | Your Price | Add |
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978-1-5124-5181-8
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$37.99 | |
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978-1-4677-5975-5
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$34.99 | |
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978-1-5124-4182-6
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$6.99 |
| Interest Level | Grade 4 - Grade 8 |
|---|---|
| Reading Level | Grade 5 |
| Category | 5 Kinds of Nonfiction, 5KN: Narrative Nonfiction, Biography |
| Copyright | 2013 |
| Publisher | Lerner Publishing Group |
| Imprint | Lerner Publications ™ |
| Language | English |
| Number of Pages | 48 |
| Publication Date | 2015-08-01 |
| Reading Counts! Level | 5.3 |
| Text Type | Narrative Nonfiction |
|---|---|
| BISACS | JNF007090, JNF007000, JNF012030 |
| Dewey | 338.7' 61006752092 |
| Graphics | Full-color illustrations |
| Dimensions | 7 x 9 |
| Lexile | 810 |
| ATOS Reading Level | 5.7 |
| Accelerated Reader® Quiz | 156694 |
| Accelerated Reader® Points | 1.0 |
| Features | Bibliography/further reading, Index, Reviewed, Sidebars, Teaching Guides, and Timeline |
Author: Karen Latchana Kenney
Karen Latchana Kenney is an Indian-Irish author and editor, born near the equator in Guyana, and raised far north in Minnesota. She writes both fiction and nonfiction stories about scientific wonders and discoveries, immigrant and biracial experiences, momentous historical events, and civil rights struggles. Her books have received several starred reviews and have been named a 2025 Minnesota Book Awards Finalist, a 2025 Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Awards Finalist, a 2023 Mathical Book Prize Honor book, and a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. She lives in Minnesota with her designer-musician husband and mathematician–robot-building son, where they explore all the wild places they can find. Find her online at https://www.karenlatchanakenney.com.
Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!
Gateway Biographies
Discover the human side of newsworthy, historical, and pop culture figures, and learn about people leading key social movements or handling crises. Each biography in this easy-reading series is peppered with quotations and stories, accounts of successes and failures, and descriptions of… View available downloads →
Reviews
School Library Journal
“Children should delight in Karp’s success at such a young age while easily identifying with his need to stretch the truth about his age and experience to prove his worth.” —School Library Journal
Booklist
“This slim, trim biography will have real appeal for readers. Not only does it chronicle the life of a young man with whom they can identify but it also provides insight into the social media world that they’re smack in the middle of.” —Booklist