Nancy Farmer

Nancy Farmer writes unusual and multi-layered stories in part because she herself has an unusual background. She was raised in what she describes as a "quirky hotel" on the outskirts of Mexico. It had such guests as rodeo wranglers and circus travelers.

She went to Reed College in Oregon and then served in the Peace Corps in India. Several years later, she studied chemistry at Merritt College in Oakland California and then at the University of California at Berkeley.

Eventually she moved to Africa and worked as a lab technician in Zimbabwe. She also spent time as an insect pathology technician. All of these experiences prepared her for her writing career-a career she didn't start until she was 40 years old.

The career change was a good one. Her books met with critical acclaim and she has three times been awarded a Newbery Honor Medal.

She now lives with her husband and son in Menlo Park, California.

-- B. Redman