Elaine Alphin
Caroline Arnold
Marsha Arnold
Bob Barner
Larry Brimner
Erik Brooks
Susan Casey
Shirley Climo
Judy Cox
Jo Harper
Barbara Kerley
Helen Ketteman
Kirby Larson
Donna Jo Napoli
Mary Nethery
Dorothy Patent
Ann Whitford Paul
P.J. Petersen
Michael Elsohn Ross
Robert San Souci
Pam Service
Sherry Shahan
Ginger Wadsworth
Lee Wardlaw
Natasha Wing |
 Lee Wardlaw
Children’s Book Author, Teacher, Cat-Lover
Web site: www.leewardlaw.com
Lee Wardlaw is the award-winning author of 24 books for children and teens. Where does she get the ideas for so many books?
“From my own life,” says Lee. “Corey’s Fire is based on my family’s experiences after our house burned down in a brush fire. The idea for Dinosaur Pizza came from my elementary school days, when at lunch no one wanted to share my BMPCs - - bologna-and-mustard-and potato chip sandwiches. My brother’s dorky Halloween costume (cowboy hat, boots, holster and underwear) led to my book The Ghoul Brothers. The Hawaiian folk tale, Punia and the King of Sharks, was inspired by my love of the Islands and my surfer-husband’s fear of sharks. And my years of experience as both an expert Bugger and Buggee gave me lots of creative material for my novel 101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher!”
Lee wrote her first book in 2nd grade and continued to write poems, stories and plays all through elementary school. (She and her friends performed the plays for neighborhood families at 10 cents a ticket. In 6th grade, Lee and three of her friends formed a rock ‘n’ roll band called The Shooting Stars, with Lee writing many of the songs the girls performed.
Lee attended Santa Barbara Junior High and Santa Barbara High School where she was Captain of the Drill Team and wrote for the literary magazines. She graduated with honors from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, with a degree in education, and taught elementary school for five years before deciding to write full-time.
101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher is Lee’s newest title for ages 8-13. The International Reading Association/Children’s Book Council named it a Children’s Choice Book for 2005; the National Council of Teachers of English honored it on their Best Book of the Month list, October 2004. (Students from Scott Williams’ class at Loleta School helped Lee to compile the list of accidental ‘ways’ at the end of the book.) The novel is the sequel to 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents, winner of five state children’s choice awards; an International School Librarians Recommended Book; and an American Bookseller “Pick of the List.” It is currently being made into a weekly television show in Iran (without Lee’s permission!). Lee’s other latest title, Tripping Over the Lunch Lady and Other School Stories edited by Nancy Mercado (also an IRA/CBC Children’s Choice), features her short story “The Desk.”
Lee still enjoys teaching, and does numerous presentations each year for children, teachers, librarians and parents at schools, libraries and conferences. Since 1988, she has taught a variety of workshops for the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) and at community colleges about writing for the juvenile market. For many years, Lee also wrote the “Ask the Children’s Book Author” advice column for Inklings, an online newsletter. She is currently on the staff of the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference.
Lee is an active member of the SCBWI, and belongs to the Author’s Guild, the California Reading Association, the Children’s Literature Council of Southern California and, yes, even the Cat Writers’ Association. She lives with her husband (a winemaker), son (into Taekwondo and Yu-Gi-Oh!), and cat (whose motto is: “A gopher a day keeps the veterinarian away!”) in Santa Barbara. To learn more about Lee and her books, visit her website at www.leewardlaw.com.
Picture Books
- The Tales of Grandpa Cat, illustrated by Ronald Searle (Dial)
- Punia and the King of Sharks, illustrated by Felipe Davalos (Dial)
- Bow-Wow Birthday, illustrated by Arden Johnson-Petrov (Boyds Mills)
- First Steps, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (HarperCollins)
- Saturday Night Jamboree, illustrated by Barry Root (Dial)
- The Chair Where Bear Sits, illustrated by Russell Benfanti (Winslow)
- Peek-A-Book, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. (Dial)
Easy Readers
- Dinosaur Pizza, illustrated by Julie Durrell (Troll)
- Hector's Hiccups, illustrated by Joan Holub (Random House)
- Chapter Books
- Me + Math = Headache, illustrated by Deboarah Stouffer (Red Hen Press)
- The Eye and I, illustrated by Deborah Stouffer (Red Hen Press)
- The Ghoul Brothers, illustrated by Brian Floca (Troll)
Middle Grade
- Corey's Fire (Avon, 1990; Willowisp, 1995)
- Seventh-Grade Weirdo (Scholastic 1992; Troll 2001)
- Operation Rhinoceros (Red Hen Press)
- 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents (Dial 1996; Random House 1998; Puffin 2005)
- Bubblemania: The Chewy History of Bubble Gum, (Aladdin; Troll)
- We All Scream for Ice Cream! (HarperCollins; Troll)
- 101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher (Dial 2004; Puffin 2005)
- Tripping Over the Lunch Lady (Dial 2004; Puffin 2005)
Young Adult
- Alley Cat (Silhouette)
- Cowabunga! The Complete Book of Surfing (Avon)
- Don't Look Back (Avon)
- See You in September (Avon)
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