Hi Everybody!

I want to tell you a little bit about myself.  The most important thing I want you to know is that I feel SO lucky because I have what I think is one of the best jobs on the planet:  writing books for kids!  I’ve wanted to be an author since I was a kid myself.  (Anybody out there who feels the same way?  Let me know!) 

One of my favorite things (actually, I should say, people) to write about is a girl named Mallory McDonald.  She’s the main character in a series of chapter books published by Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group.

There are loads of books in the series (11 so far and there will be lots more to come)! In the first book, Mallory on the Move, eight-year-old Mallory McDonald has to move to a new city and make new friends. She even has to leave behind a best friend. I don’t know if any of you have ever had to do this, but for Mallory, it wasn’t easy.

Since then, Mallory has faced lots of new challenges. She has gone to a new school, attended summer camp, worked on getting along with her brother, dealt with her best friends’ parents getting married and becoming a family, started a business, gone on a cruise, and much more.

The first eight books in the series take place while Mallory is in third grade and the rest of the books are all about Mallory in fourth grade. I hope you will like reading about Mallory as much as I like writing about her! To take a look at all of the Mallory books and to join the Mallory fan club visit her Website at www.mallorymcdonald.com.

I’ve also written several picture books.

• I’m Not Afraid of This Haunted House follows Simon Lester Henry Strauss as he marches unafraid through a scary haunted house.  You’ll have to read the book if you want to find out if there is anything that scares him!
• Love, Ruby Valentine is the story of a girl who loves Valentine’s Day but learns that it isn’t the only day to let others know that you care about them.
• New for Fall 2009, Thanksgiving Rules tells the story of a boy who has a unique set of rules to get the most out of the Thanksgiving holiday. From “the early bird gets the turkey” to “life is sweeter when you eat sweets,” Percy Isaac Gifford’s rules will help you eat your way through the big meal. But is there more to Thanksgiving than stuffed turkey and sweet potatoes with marshmallows? See how Percy discovers the true recipe for a perfect Thanksgiving holiday.

I hope you will read them all!

Last but not least . . . I live in sunny Florida. Things I like to do include writing books, speaking at schools, baking, reading, dancing, spending time with my family, and walking my dog, Ollie (a very cute and fluffy Bichon Frise).

That’s all for now.  Talk to you soon!

Laurie B. Friedman

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