Author Talk: Conversations With Judy Blume, Bruce Brooks, Karen Cushman, Russell Freedman, Lee Bennett Hopkins, James Howe, Johanna Hurwitz, E.l. Konigsburg, Lois Lowry, Ann M. Martin,and others

Have you ever wanted to ask your favorite author:
What kind of child were you?
Did you like to read?
When did you become a writer?
What is the best thing about being a writer?

In fifteen short conversations with some of the best-known children's book authors, acclaimed author and editor Leonard S. Marcus asks these questions and more, discovering engaging details about their lives and their work. Throughout, you'll find childhood and adult pictures of the authors, as well as bibliographies, manuscript pages, and other fascinating memorabilia. Author Talk is a great introduction to the people behind some of your favorite books.

Noted children's literature historian Leonard Marcus asks 15 popular children's book authors these questions and more in this fantastic introduction to the people who made Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery, and The Babysitters Club series possible. Complete with birth dates, childhood (and grownup) photos, manuscript pages, and other interesting memorabilia, the interviews provide a brief but in-depth look (six or seven pages per author) at the lives of kids' favorite writers, including Jon Scieszka, E.L. Konigsburg, Judy Blume, Laurence Yep, Gary Paulsen, and Johanna Hurwitz. Virtually every author claims that the way to become a writer is to read and write. A lot. All the time. So get to it! (Ages 8 to 12) --Emilie Coulter