Author Pals - Wendy Mass

I’ve been lucky enough to spend time with some of the writers for kids and teens who I admire most in the world. Here are some pics from different events. If you’re looking for great books (and who isn’t?) I’ve suggested one book title per author. Sorry that I’m in all the pictures—I’d photoshop myself out if I knew how! Names are listed from left to right. You can either click on each photo to make it larger, or rest your cursor on them and the captions will pop up. New additions will be added to the beginning.

$The amazing Kirsten Miller who wrote one of my top three favorite books of the year—KIKI STRIKE: INSIDE THE SHADOW CITY. Stop what you\'re doing and read it now. Seriously.$

$Todd Strasser and me. I am in awe of this guy! Plus, he kept me laughing during a 2-hour book signing in the hot sun. Check out the incredible, YOU CAN\'T GET THERE FROM HERE.$

$Laura Ruby, me. Laura wrote the funny and scary LILY\'S GHOSTS which I loved, and many others I can\'t wait to read.$

$Me, Sarah Beth Durst, whose first book INTO THE WILD is an amazing modern fairy tale adventure, and I can\'t wait to read Maureen Johnson\'s 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES which I\'ve heard great things about.$

$Meg Cabot and me. She\'s the one in the tiara. :o) My fave book of hers is ALL AMERICAN GIRL.$

$Julie Anne Peters, me, David Levithan. Julie wrote LUNA, which I could NOT put down, and David\'s latest is THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY, the greatest \"novel in poems\" on the planet. I cannot say enough good things about these folks or their books. THEY ROCK!!!$

$Annual ladies\' lunch full of good food (Carolyn always chooses the best places) and camaraderie about the strange career we all chose. From left to write (get it? ok, that was bad): (top) Julia DeVillers (who wrote the very cool HOW MY PRIVATE, PERSONAL JOURNAL BECAME A BESTSELLER which became A Disney Channel movie called READ IT AND WEEP), me, Rachel Vail. (bottom) Mariah Fredericks, Ann Brashares (whose SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series you may have heard of :o), Carolyn Mackler, Megan McCafferty, K.L. Going$

$Finally, a picture I took instead of being in! Going clockwise, Sarah Mlynowski who wins funniest title of the year with BRAS & BROOMSTICKS, Emily Lockhart has THE BOYFRIEND LIST coming out soon and I can\'t wait to read it, Dan Ehrenhaft whose latest is the whirlwind 10 THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE, and Billy Merrell, author of the inspired poetry memoir TALKING IN THE DARK.$

$Jerry Spinelli & me. Hurrah! He\'s awesome! So sweet and so talented and one of my all-time favorite children\'s writers. Check out STARGIRL and MILKWEED.$

$Sarah Littman and me. Sarah\'s Confessions of a Closet Catholic cracked me up, especially coming from a fellow \"Nice Jewish Girl.\"$

$Lauren Myracle, notorious children\'s lit advocate Walter Mayes, me. Lauren (queen of the IM novels starting with TTYL) is pretending to be really short and I\'m sort of leaning up to highlight how really tall Walter is. He didn\'t get the nickname Walter the Giant Storyteller for nothing. I wish I was cool enough to put a pink stripe in my hair but I\'m just sooo not. Lauren totally is though!$