v     Born in 1944 in Washington, D.C.

v     Raised in New York, where she currently has a home.  She also has a home in London, England.

v     She began her career as a teacher, and has taught at junior high school, high school, and college levels.

v     Two back-to-back car accidents left her with orthopedic problems and dyslexia.  During her recuperation, she decided to get a master's degree in reading and to become a writer.

v     She wrote her first book, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, in 1974, while she was completing her master's degree in reading.

v     She likes to write about real life, and she includes serious as well as funny topics.

v     Of all her book characters, Paula Danziger feels that Marcy Lewis in The Cat Ate My Gymsuit is most like her.

v     She has never been married.

v     She enjoys traveling and being on television.  (She travels more than 30,000 miles a year!)

v     She also loves meeting people and making new friends.

v     In England, she does a monthly childrens interview show called "Live and Kicking" for the BBC.

v     Her books have been translated into ten languages.

v     None of her books have gone out of print; this is unusual.

v     She writes about children growing up and learning lessons.

v     Many kids relate to her characters because they have lived through many of the same situations.