I was born in Allentown, PA. I lived in the same house my whole childhood, mostly alone with my mother and father and my dog, Missy. My sister and brother were so much older than I was I don't remember much about them when I was little. Here's what I do remember: my sister got married in our living room when I was four. My brother tortured me when he came home from college. Someday I will write a book about that...but not yet. I'm still scared of him. Doesn't he look scary? Actually he's a great guy, and is a wonderful uncle to my sons.

I was a good student, and loved school, although I was not the perfect child. Especially in junior high and high school. Let's NOT talk about it. Back to the good student part. My favorite grades were: Kindergarten because Miss Erie was like Mrs. Santa Claus and she let us chew bubble gum; Fourth grade because Miss Ryan let us read all the time. She had special reading nooks set up in her room. I read CHARLOTTE'S WEB by the great E.B. White under a table and in a (dry) bathtub. By the way, I think CHARLOTTE'S WEB is the perfect book. I loved Fifth grade, too, because we created our own country called Cowabunga and I was the first President. I ran in the Debbiecrats party. Also Miss Laudenslager read aloud FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER . E.L. Konigsburg is one of my author heroes. I think that book is one of the main reasons I became a children's book author.

Junior High: I'm sure I had some good moments, but I don't remember them.

High School: I loved all of my English teachers: Mr. Egolf, who taught me about point of view using a sports car, and was (and still is) a great guy; Mr. Deery, who read scenes from The Scarlet Letter out loud; Mrs. Thomas, who inspired years of students to become Thomas' English muffins and who comes to my book signings now with her grandchildren!; and Mrs. Appleton, who was the newspaper advisor, and a dear friend. I was the editor of the newspaper The Canary and--you know what? Let's not talk about the underground newspaper, O.K.? Looking back I also love my calculus teacher because he pretended I wasn't flunking. I did not love him while I was there. I did have a crush on my chemistry teacher, though, and that made it very hard for me to pay attention. So I didn't take any science classes after that. You might find that surprising, since I write a lot of books about science. You never know....

I went on to BROWN UNIVERSITY, which I fell in love with at first sight. As is befitting a children's book author, I majored in Religious Studies. For about one week I thought about becoming a rabbi. I didn't. My best friend did. I had no idea what I would do after college. I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't think real people were writers. I thought writers were like movie stars and that regular people like me couldn't be writers. At Brown all the people who said they were going to be writers wore all black, smoked lots of cigarettes (something I never did: my father was a lung doctor!), drank endless cups of coffee, and used such big words I couldn't understand what they were saying (I don't think they knew what they were saying either). My bet is that most of those people are lawyers or stockbrokers or maybe ski bums. Anyway, I bet they're happy. And so am I.

My first job out of college was at a magazine called MOMENT. Then in 1981, I started interviewing for jobs in New York City, and found, quite by accident, a job at Scholastic News Explorer, the 4th grade classroom magazine. I got a trial assignment and discovered that I loved writing for children. I have never looked back!

Writing for Scholastic News was the best job I could have had. I had to write every day, all day, and on all kinds of subjects. Soon after I got there the magazines were reorganized, so I wrote for children in grades 1 through 6. I loved it. In the morning I would write about panda bears or Pac-man for second graders, and in the afternoon I'd write about war or pesticides for sixth graders. I also had the opportunity to interview famous people, to write fiction in the form of plays, and to do a lot of research. I stayed there until 1985 and by the time I left I was in charge of all the magazines and teachers guides! So why did I leave? I had a baby and I wanted to be home with him. That's when my life as a freelance writer began.

That baby is now 22 and is going to graduate from the University of Chicago this year! He majored in math and minored in creative writing, and can create computer programs and awesome short stories! And his younger brother (see photo--he knows how to entertain himself and us!) is already 19 and a freshman and Columbia University. He's already directing and composing music for plays. I think soon I will retire...No, no I won't because I love my job! During the years of being a mom and a writer I have written for magazines (Ladies' Home Journal, Sesame Street Parents Guide, Parents Magazine) and I have published 25 childrens books--going on 28, fingers crossed (hard to write with fingers crossed, by the way...) I loved working at Scholastic, but I am really glad I stayed home to be with my boys and to write. And now that they aren't here that much, I am getting a lot of writing done; but I miss them.