BIOGRAPHY

I was born in Berlin Germany in 1934, a very difficult time. As a Jewish child, I quickly became aware of dangers. When I was only one year old, my family moved to Brazil to try to escape the Nazi tyranny that was getting more and more powerful. But my father was unable to make a living in South America, so we returned to Berlin the following year. By 1938, my mother realized that the situation was not going to improve, so she persuaded my father to make his way to America and then to send for me, my two older sisters and her. This is the beginning of my life and also the beginning of my career as a writer, for my first book tells the story of our escape. JOURNEY TO AMERICA came out in 1970 and has been in print ever since. It was followed by two other books about the fictional Platt family (based, of course, on my own family). The first book tells about our escape and arrival in America; the second, SILVER DAYS, takes place in the United States and tells about the many adjustments we had to make in this new land. ANNIE'S PROMISE, written many years later, is really my own story, written from my (Annie's) view point. It takes the theme beyond escape and acculturation to a real blend of peoples. Annie reaches beyond her home and family to find her place in the world--and she encounters prejudice in a most unexpected source--herself.

I have now written over forty books in all genres. There are picture books, intermediate books, a number of YA novels on various themes. I love to work on a variety of projects--mysteries, adventure, humor, historical novels and also picture books. The latest of these are a series of stories for young children that take place on the Western frontier. The first is NINE FOR CALIFORNIA, and is a finalist for the California Young Reader Medal. It is followed by BOOM TOWN and a third story, TAKING CHARGE, is published 1999. My latest YA novels are: DREAM FREEDOM, CLEM'S CHANCES, ROOM IN THE HEART and THE GOODNESS GENE.

My writing and my family are the main focus of my life. I have two grown children, Daniel and Shari, both of whom are involved in successful careers of their own. My son is a cognitive psychologist. That means he studies the brain and especially his chosen area of auditory and visual perception. He is also a skilled musician and he writes many articles and interviews for music publications. My daughter has a company for timeshare sales training and marketing, conducting seminars all over the world.

I live in southern California. My husband and I both have home offices. We both teach university level classes, and we love to hike and travel and enjoy nature. Our companions are Buddy, a mixed lab, and Shadow, a mixed Belgian Shepherd/Chow-Chow. Both are adorable and spoiled, because they are "rescue" dogs and we want to make up for their sad past.