My most recent books are:

• Camping with the President is realistically illustrated by Karen Dugan and recounts the story of the 1903 Yosemite camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, plus the influence that trip had on the creation of additional national parks and the preservation of our country's natural resources.  From Calkins Creek Press, Fall 2009.

• Up, Up, and Away is the poetic story of the life of a colorful garden spider who "balloons" her way to a new home after breaking out of the egg sac with hundreds of her brothers and sisters.  It is beautifully illustrated by Patricia Wynne.  I'm also excited about the new book trailer on YouTube. 

• Survival in the Snow, is a true adventure story of a teenager who spent the winter alone in the Sierra Nevada, two years before many of the Donner Party perished at the same mountain location. The great illustrations are by Craig Orback.

Forthcoming books include:

• A full-length biography of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts in the United States, illustrated with historical photographs, will be published by Clarion Books in the Fall of 2011.

RECENT OR UPCOMING APPEARANCES / BOOK SIGNINGS

I have visited dozens of schools throughout California and the West.  

Among my 2009 commitments are:

• March  - visited first and third grade classrooms at Borrego Springs Elementary School in Borrego Springs, California

• May - program and booksigning at Books, Inc. in Alameda

• October - Humboldt Author Festival in Eureka with 24 other children's authors and illustrators.

In the Spring of 2009, I helped to judge three writing contests.  These included the Willa Award (Juvenile Category) for Women Writing the West, Junior Women of Orinda's middle school contest, and the Friends of Orinda Library's high school contest.

To arrange a visit to your school, click the SCHOOL VISIT link in the menu on the left of this page or email me at plumepal@aol.com.