Ann Cameron

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Ann Cameron's 16 children's books have sold more than four million copies world-wide.

Ann grew up in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. She loved nature and the seasons--exploring the north woods, boating, swimming, skiing and riding her pony, Paint, through old logging trails. She also loved reading. When she was in third grade decided she wanted to become an author when she grew up. Authors awed her because on paper they could create whole worlds she could see in her mind. Besides that, she says, they seemed to know the minds of people from the inside so well that they were "almost like God."

After high school in Rice Lake, she earned her B.A. with Honors from Harvard University and her M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa. She lived many years in New York City working in publishing, and then moved to Guatemala, where she lived for 22 years in the Mayan highland village of Panajachel, on the shores of a breathtakingly beautiful volcanic lake, Lake Atitlán. There she became the unpaid supervisor of the town library, which had almost no books and no space for readers. With the help of donors from around the U.S. and the world, and especially from the Wisconsin non-profit Lake Atitlán Libaries, Inc., the Panajachel library has grown to 13,000 volumes in Spanish, with everything from board books for children to vital texts for university students.

Ann now lives in Portland, Oregon, where she enjoys the mountains and forests of the Pacific Northwest, and the famous Powell's Books, one of the biggest bookstores in the world, which occupies one entire city block of Portland.

She says that she writes to "follow the lives of characters who live with courage and imagination, in search of love and joy."




			Spunky Tells All illustrated by Lauren Castillo Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2011 ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0374380007 This hilarious and touching novel continues the adventures of Julian and Huey Bates--this time, as seen by Huey's dog, Spunky. Spunky loves his family, but isn't always understood. He tries to explain his values and interests, but often they just don't understand. The family thinks he wants an animal companion, a cat--and when he says "No!" they mistake his "No!" for a "Yes." Into his peaceful life comes the snobbish and incompetent young cat, Fiona--who much to his surprise, gives him a new life purpose and a special sense of pride in himself.



			Colibri Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003 ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-1417698585 (paperback) At age four, Colibri was kidnapped, torn from her parents on a crowded bus in Guatemala City. Since then she's traveled with "Uncle," the ex-soldier and wandering beggar who has renamed her Rosa. Uncle consulted fortune-tellers who told him that Rosa would bring him luck--a treasure big enough to last him all his life. So he's kept her with him. Eight years have passed, and Rosa has turned twelve. No treasure has been found, and Uncle has almost given up hope. When he turns angry and desperate, danger threatens Rosa from all sides--but especially from Uncle himself.



			Gloria Rising Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2002 ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0440419983 (paperback) Gloria is thrilled when she goes to the store to buy an onion and meets Dr. Grace Street, an astronaut. It's there that Dr. Street tells Gloria to have confidence in herself and that the big things aren't always as big as they seem. But Gloria doesn't really understand Dr. Street's advice. Right now her problem seems gigantic. It's the beginning of fourth grade and Gloria can't do anything to please her teacher Mrs. Yardley. When Gloria writes a report about meeting Dr. Street, Mrs. Yardley doesn't believe her. Gloria knows she's telling the truth. How can she prove it?



			Gloria’s Way Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2000 ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0142300237 (paperback) Gloria is best friends with Julian and his little brother Huey, and she has as much to say as they do. There's the parrot that ruins the Valentine for her mother; Huey's dog, who needs to be cured of his squirrel obsession; and what happens when classmate Latisha tricks Gloria, Julian, and Huey--but they don't know until it's too late! Fans of Ann Cameron's best-selling chapter books about Julian and Huey will love Gloria, too.



			The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1998 ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0141306421 Eleven-year-old Amanda Woods is discovering that the person other people think she is and the person she really is are not the same. So she changes her name from bland Amanda Woods to Amanda K. Woods--someone who is proud and strong and sure of herself. And that small change sets off a chain reaction, leaving Amanda--and the whole Woods family--entirely different. Ann Cameron's first novel for middle readers is every bit as insightful as her best-selling chapter books--and her fans will take Amanda to their hearts. Awards & Recognition National Book Award finalist



			More Stories Huey Tells Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1997 ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0679883630 Huey is good at solving problems. Sometimes his older brother Julian tries to push him around, but Huey knows how to handle him. When Huey gets scared about their father's smoking, the boys work together to help him quit. But some problems are bigger than Huey or Julian. After a hunt for gold leaves Huey trapped at the bottom of a crumbling mine, he'll need more than cleverness and bravery—and more than Julian—to save him.



			The Stories Huey Tells Alfred A. Knopf, 1997 ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0679885597 It isn't easy being Julian's younger brother. When Huey has bad dreams, Julian says it's no big deal. When Huey orders trout in a restaurant and it comes to the table whole with an eye looking straight up at him, Julian reminds Huey he'd better eat it all. And when Huey wants to study animal tracks with Julian and his friend Gloria, Julian tells him he's too young. But he's not a little kid. He's six years old and he's an adventurer, a chef, a tracker, a scout--and much more! Set in large type with wide margins, these five short, funny, and satisfying stories have all the originality and sparkle of the Julian books with a fresh new voice.

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