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P. J. Petersen
Mr. Petersen wanted to be a writer from the beginning. He had other ambitions, like being an airline pilot and a baseball player, but he always intended to write books.
He was not an immediate success. He wrote seriously for over twenty years without selling a single word. Then he had his best idea--to write a book for his daughter Karen, a seventh grader at the time. He had never written for young people, but he knew the kind of books his daughter liked. That book, WOULD YOU SETTLE FOR IMPROBABLE?, was his first published novel. He has been writing books for young people ever since.
Mr. Petersen lives with his wife, Marian, in Redding, California. He has two grown daughters, Karen and Carla, and two grandchildren, Ryan and Emma. A graduate of Stanford University with a Ph.D. in American literature from the University of New Mexico, he taught at Shasta College from 1964 to December 2000. Now that he has retired from teaching, he is available for school visits, workshops, or conferences.
THE SUB
Ages 7-10.
James and Ray switch seats to fool the substitute teacher. Readers will find enough action here to keep them turning the pages. --School Library Journal (starred review)
An IRA-CBC Childrens Choice Book
An American Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"
WHITE WATER
Ages 8-12.
An accident on a white-water rafting trip forces Greg to take action to save his father's life.
Winner of the William Allen White Award and the Children's Crown Award.
I HATE WEDDINGS
Ages 7-10.
Dan hates weddings--dressing up and sitting still and all that kissing. And now he has to be in a wedding: His father is getting married. What could be worse?
RISING WATER
Ages 10-15.
During a flood, three teenagers face unexpected challenges.
"Filled with narrow squeaks, set against a vividly realized natural disaster and animated with some fizzy chemistry between the protagonists, this page-turner will keep readers on the edge of their seats from the get-go." --KIRKUS REVIEWS
CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?
Ages 7-10.
Nobody will tell Mike anything. He can't keep a secret, no matter how hard he tries. But suddenly he knows more than he wants to. And he's determined not to tell this time.
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