Richard Peck is one of the most celebrated children's book writers in the country He is the author of more than thirty novels, including A Long Way from Chicago, A Year Down Yonder, Secrets at Sea and The Mouse with the Question Mark Tale. He has won the Newbery Medal, the Edgar Award, the Margaret A. Edwards Award, a National Humanities Medal, and twice been a National Book Award finalist, among many other honors. He lives in New York City.