Mary Amato
PERSONAL:
Born January 3, 1961, in Belvidere, IL; grew up in Libertyville, Illinois; married Ivan Amato (a science writer); children: Maxwell, Simon. Pets: Sorry, none! Favorite food: Chocolate.
BOOKS AND PLAYS:
Books:
The Word Eater, a novel for ages 8-12 (Holiday House, 2000).
The Naked Mole-Rat Letters, a novel for ages 9-12 (Holiday House, 2005).
Please Write in this Book, a chapter book for ages 6-10 (Holiday House, 2006).
The Chicken of the Family, a picture book for ages 4 and up (Putnam, 2008).
The Riot Brother Series
Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, and the Secret of Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All, a chapter book for ages 6-10, (Holiday House, 2004).
Drooling and Dangerous: The Riot Brothers Return!, a chapter book for ages 6-10, (Holiday House, 2006).
Stinky and Successful: The Riot Brothers Never Stop! a chapter book for ages 6-10, (Holiday House, 2007).
The fourth book of the Riot Brother series is forthcoming from Holiday House.
Plays:
The Chicken of the Family, book, lyrics and music by Mary Amato and Richard Washer
The Riot Brothers
I’ve also written lots of articles, essays, and poems for magazines and newspapers, including Muse, Cicada, The Washington Post, Parenting, Mothering.
ON WRITING:
I always wanted to be a writer, but it took me a long time to believe that I could actually become one. I started writing at the age of seven when my mother handed me a little spiral notebook and told me to keep a journal of our trip to California. I liked the fact that I could record something in my journal and then read it later. My favorite book as a child was Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh because Harriet was a terrific journal keeper.
I love to write. Not all writers love to write. I wake up every morning and can't wait to sit at my dining room table and write. (I write on a laptop computer with a cup of tea nearby.) I especially love to write books for children. I think that's because I needed books when I was a kid. I turned to books when I was lonely or sad or confused or bored. It is extremely fun to think that kids are reading my books.
INTERESTS:
I love to play music and write songs. I also teach dance, choreograph, and do shadow puppetry.
AWARDS, HONORS:
Fellowship for Children's Novel-in-Progress, The Heekin Foundation; Grant for Work-in-Progress, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI); SCBWI National Magazine Merit Award; AZLA Young Readers’ Award; Arts in Education Grant, Target; Grant in the Arts, The Washington Post; Visiting Artist Grants, Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County, MD; Keisler Prize for Poetry, Indiana University.
EDUCATION :
I studied special education and dance at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. In graduate school, I studied fiction writing and poetry at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC.