Select a Pen Pal to learn about him or her.

Allison   Amy   Anna   Bob   Cathy   Christina   Claire   Devonne   Diana   Emily   Erik   Fern   George   Herman   Jason    Justine   Kathy   Laurel   Mark   Rachel G.   Rachel M.   Regina   Rose   Scott   Sheri   Sunshine   Yona

Allison is a middle school teacher. Mostly she teaches math, but she also teaches social studies when she can, and sometimes English and science. She has two small children and two dogs, and they all live in New Jersey, near the George Washington Bridge.

Amy is the only girl in a house of boys: one husband, three sons (19, 12 and 9) and two cats. She likes to listen to talking books while cooking and cleaning in the kitchen. She remembers when her oldest son read Hank the Cowdog to her when he was in 3rd grade. This was the start of finding great books that make you laugh in children's literature. She gets very excited when she finds good books and loves to share this information with others—especially her boys. She is a research scientist and has a degree in Microbiology. She has lived in Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts and Kansas.

Anna is the principal of the Brooklyn New School. She loves teaching and children. Her own children, Lindsay and Ruth, are well done with the elementary years. Lindsay is off to Oberlin College and Ruth attends Beacon High School. It was Ruth who insisted that Anna read Warriors Don't Cry, which she did. Anna reads and reads and reads all kinds of books, including children's books.

Bob is a musician who also works in the world of construction. He has four children: two boys and two girls, ages ranging from 14 to 39 years. (Hence the construction work). Having grasped the nuts and bolts of two worlds, he gets enjoyment expressing himself in both. (No, he doesn't play the saw). Bob, originally Paterson, N.J. born, is living in Park Slope (Yeah, Brooklyn!) New York with his two daughters Stella and Nina.

Cathy became a school librarian so she could read children's books for a living, not just a hobby. Now this former school librarian works for an independent bookstore in Houston, Texas. She loves to read many different books, from Mrs. Piggle Wiggle to Harry Potter as well as all the new juvenile and young adult fiction.

Claire is on the faculty of U.C. Irvine, where she teaches courses in political science, ethnic studies, and animal rights. She lives with and rescues animals including dogs, cats, and horses.

Devonne is a mother of an eight-year-old and a nine-year-old. She teaches in a middle school in Brooklyn. Devonne is a lover of fiction. As a child her favorite author was Judy Blume. Many of her students past and present) can be found hunting her down for a "good book" to read.

A native of Portland, Oregon, Diana lived and worked in New York, Paris, London, Madrid, and Tel Aviv, before settling with her husband and three children in Rhinebeck, NY. An Adjunct Professor at Bard College, Diana runs an international consulting firm, Global Momenta, Inc. She is an avid reader, movie-goer, and writer.

Emily likes to read both classics and new fiction. She is in two different book groups that keep her reading books that she might not ordinarily choose. Her kids, ages 8 and 11, also give her recommendations. Starting in September, 2003, she will be living with her family in Italy.

Erik learned from his daughter and his first grade students that you get more out of a book when you read it with people or talk to them about it rather than keeping your thoughts to yourself. Now he teaches middle school technology, enjoys his family with a new baby boy addition and rabbit named Bunnicula (named after the book!).

Fern is a writer and publisher (Peanut Butter and Jelly Press). She writes and publishes books on a variety of topics; lately she has been doing books (and also all-day workshops across the country) on how to find a literary agent, how to self-publish, and how to promote a book. She and her husband homeschool their three children (ages 2 through 10) in Boston, Massachusetts.

George is a grandfather, a dog owner (or on-call walker from the dog's point of view), a story teller, a slightly published poet and short story writer, and a long time fantasy fan. His biggest literary brag is appearing in Ursula LeGuin's Always Coming Home. Past work includes biology teacher, electronics technician with the Bathyscaphe Trieste, library page, administrative law judge, environmental specialist, shoe salesman, and copy editor. (If you stick around long enough, there is time for lots of exploration.) At present, he is a licensed psychologist with a clinical practice in Berkeley, California.

Herman is a pediatrician, husband, father, and teacher who enjoys spending time with children and grownups. He works with people of all ages who want to learn more about dealing with challenges and changes in their lives and in the lives of people they care about. Walking outdoors, writing, reading aloud, and story-telling are some of his favorite activities.

Jason grew up on the East Coast and then the West Coast, and then he lived in Europe for a decade. He has lived in Brooklyn now longer than he lived in any of those other places. He started writing when he was in eighth grade or so and is still at it; his love of reading started around the same time. He has published several books but is still, somehow, learning how to write. His two children, ages 13 and 10, do what they can to teach him.

Justine had two kids partly as an excuse to read a wider range of children's books (she already read young adult novels to help her teach middle school English and social studies). She tutors math, writing, and reading and also works with homeschoolers in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Kathy works for non-profit organizations trying to make the world a better place for children and families—especially those who don't have much money. When she's not working (which if you ask her 11 year old son isn't much of the time) she loves to read novels, especially mysteries, fantasies, and adventure stories.

Laurel has always loved escaping into a good book. Right now, her favorite things to read for fun are novels about family relationships and bird identification books. Laurel teaches anthropology to college students and also spends a lot of time playing with and reading to her young daughter.

Mark works as a lawyer in Manhattan and lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn with his wife and their two sons.

Rachel G. is a lawyer and divorce mediator. She works with families in which the parents are moving to two homes. She tries every day to remind them to stop fighting, because their children don’t want to hear that! She reminds them to play with and take care of their children. Rachel has two girls, ages seven and three, and she loves reading and children.

Rachel M. is an English teacher at the Solomon Schechter High School of New York. In addition to mysteries like The Westing Game, she loves to read many different kinds of books. Recently, she has enjoyed Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, Ex Libris, by Anne Fadiman, and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, by Moe Willems.

Regina is a reading teacher in the Brooklyn New School. She loves going to work every day because she has the opportunity to work with students who want to learn strategies to become better readers. Whenever she has the opportunity, she travels to her vacation home in East Hampton, Long Island, where she loves to sit by the ocean and read.

Rose was born and raised in Park Slope, Brooklyn. She attends the Bronx High School of Science. Justine was Rose’s home-schooling tutor. Rose dislikes science fiction novels and loves creative writing.

Scott is a farmer, carpenter, boatbuilder, rower, guitar player, liar, Nabokov lover, who has four children ranging from 16 down to 4. He and his wife Sara, a teacher, are preparing to return to farming after a hiatus caused by the birth of twins.

Sheri is a political scientist who spends lots of time at the library picking out children's books with her kids.

Sunshine is a middle school teacher by nature and a kid at heart. She is working on her masters degree to become a library/media specialist. She is married to a high school principal. Education and reading are two constants in her household. Her favorite books are those by J.K. Rowling, but she also loves the Twilight series. She hopes one day to be a middle school librarian.

Yona is a college student majoring in English, probably, and something else, maybe. Only recently twenty, she needs no explanation for her love of young adult fiction. Or so she thinks, at least.

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