Laurie Miller Hornik

I grew up in an apartment in New York City. Now I live right outside NYC in a house in Yonkers. I live with my husband, Rob, our children, Ezra and Naomi, and lots of pets: one beagle, two lizards, three hermit crabs and three fish.

This year I am teaching eighth grade English, but I have also taught third grade, fifth grade, seventh grade, and kindergarten. When I'm not teaching or writing, I love to read books, go for long walks, and spend time with my family.

Winner of the North Carolina Children's Book Award, The Secrets of Ms. Snickle's Class (Clarion, 2001) appears on master lists in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Kentucky and has been translated into German.

The Secrets of Ms. Snickle's Class was inspired by my third grade students, who loved secrets - keeping them and telling them!

My second book, Zoo School (Clarion, 2004) was inspired by my son, Ezra, who LOVES animals and thinks it would be great to go to school in a zoo everyday.

Some of the students at the Zoo School are not quite so happy to be there, though, and find things pretty fishy. In fact, all the desks in the classroom are filled with fish! The teachers are batty, the lessons are loony, and no one can find the principal. Ursula, Kitty, Drake, Robin, and Leo think this school is ridiculous!

Fortunately, the New School Inspectors are conducting a careful investigation, but with all their silly rules, they're ridiculous too! And when they threaten to close down the Zoo School, Ursula, Kitty, Drake, Robin, and Leo will have to decide for themselves if this zooey school is worth saving. And, if so, how they're going to do it.

I love to visit schools and talk to kids about how I write my books and what it is like to be a writer. Email me for more information.