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Ever since I co-authored a Howard Cosell parody in third grade, I've been drawn toward writing as a community activity, and there's no better place in the world for that than Austin, Texas. In the decade or so since I was a fledgling in the local children's literature scene, I've written picture books THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS (about the guys who invented those colors) and SHARK VS. TRAIN (about, um, a shark versus a train) and the young adult nonfiction thriller CAN I SEE YOUR I.D.? TRUE STORIES OF FALSE IDENTITIES. I've also considered myself lucky pretty much every single day to get to do what I love alongside Austin's terrific authors, illustrators, librarians, and booksellers -- and to count those same folks among my friends.

CAN I SEE YOUR I.D.? TRUE STORIES OF FALSE IDENTITIES, a collection of profiles of impostors and other masqueraders, was published by Dial Books for Young Readers in 2011. The book is a featured middle school title in the 2012-13 Spirit of Texas reading program developed by the Texas Library Association, and it was named a 2012 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers by the Young Adult Library Services Association. It also was named a Junior Library Guild selection, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and was called "riveting" by Kirkus Reviews.

SHARK VS. TRAIN (Little, Brown; 2010; illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld) was a New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller. It was a finalist for the 2011 Children's Choice Book Awards and named one of the best books of 2010 by Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Parents, The Washington Post, Barnes & Noble, and The Bank Street Children's Book Committee. It was a Junior Library Guild selection, received a silver honor from the Parents' Choice Awards, and has been included on statewide reading lists in Colorado, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wyoming.

THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS (Charlesbridge, 2009; illustrated by Tony Persiani), the biography of the inventors of those daylight-fluorescent oranges, yellows, and greens you see every day, won a Sibert Honor from the American Library Association. It was named one of the best books of 2009 by Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, and The Washington Post and has been included on statewide reading lists in Maine, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.

For more information about me, my books, and my presentations to students, writers, educators, and librarians -- and to read my late-1970s work The Ozzie Bros. Meet The Monsters, inspired by Star Wars, the Muppets, Abbott & Costello, and the movie-monster books I loved to check out from my elementary-school library -- please visit me at http://www.chrisbarton.info.

You can also follow me at http://twitter.com/Bartography or mail me at P.O. Box 66014, Austin, TX 78766.

Ever since I co-authored a Howard Cosell parody in third grade, I've been drawn toward writing as a community activity, and there's no better place in the world for that than Austin, Texas. In the decade or so since I was a fledgling in the local children's literature scene, I've written picture books THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS (about the guys who invented those colors) and SHARK VS. TRAIN (about, um... More