Young readers are always interested in the lives of the writers of their favorite books. This extremely exciting, new Rosen Central series explores and celebrates the lives and work of favorite middle school and young adult authors. Chock-full of fascinating information (great for book reports and research projects ), including interviews with the authors, these books trace the path each writer has taken in developing his or her career. Each book focuses on the writer's most popular and critically acclaimed books and provides relevant insight into each writer's personal life and what it means for each author to be a writer. Extremely well-written and easy to read, these are an absolute must for any librarian. Books include selected reviews and lists of works and awards. The author of picture books, adult and young adult novels, short stories, poems, essays, plays, and biographies, this prolific writer is known for his celebration of friends, family, home, the neighborhood, and ethnic traditions. He offers a clear-eyed vision of the joys and terrors of childhood and what it means to grow up poor in America. Soto's own journey from poorly educated day laborer to award-winning author is both fascinating and inspirational. It is presented here in his quintessentially American life story, which introduces the reader to the extremely rich and varied body of work it has nourished.