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Paula Danziger
Paula Danziger (August 18, 1944 – July 8, 2004) was an American children's author who wrote more than 30 books, including her 1974 debut The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, for children's and young adult audiences. At the time of her death, all her books were still in print; they had been published in 53 countries and translated into 14 languages.
The Danziger family lived in Nutley, New Jersey, and Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, before settling in Metuchen, New Jersey, when Paula was in sixth grade. In an interview with BookPage, she said: "At age 12, I was put on tranquilizers when I should have gotten help. There was nothing major and awful. I just didn't feel [my family] was supportive and emotionally generous. My father was a very unhappy person, very sarcastic, and my mother [was] very nervous and worried about what people thought. They weren't monsters, but it wasn't a good childhood." She graduated from Metuchen High School.
She was encouraged to study nursing in college but instead studied to become a teacher at Montclair State University, where she was mentored by poet John Ciardi. After earning a bachelor's degree in education, Danziger taught junior high school English while pursuing a master's degree. After being injured in an automobile accident, she had trouble writing, as she was only able to write backwards. She was able to regain the ability to write normally, but she remained able to write backwards for the rest of her life. This sequence of events prompted her to do what she really want to do in life; she began writing.
Following the success of The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, Danziger left teaching to write full-time in 1978. She maintained homes in New York City and in Bearsville, New York. For several years, she had a flat in London, where she was known for presenting a regular item about children's literature on the BBC's Saturday-morning show Live & Kicking in the 1990s.
On June 9, 2004, she experienced chest pain while her niece, Carrie Danziger, was visiting. After trying to hide her discomfort and phoning a neighbor about her concern, she ultimately went to a hospital, where she was diagnosed as having suffered a heart attack. She remained in the hospital and died from complications of the heart attack at St. Luke's Hospital in Manhattan on July 8, 2004.
Following a memorial service at Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York City, Paula was buried in the Woodstock Artists Cemetery in Woodstock, New York. She was survived by her brother Barry, her niece Carrie, and three nephews.
Danziger's debut novel was The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, whose characters were largely based on her childhood experiences. She continued writing books for teens through the 1980s, expanding to books for younger readers with the Amber Brown series, whose protagonist is based on Danziger's niece Carrie. She frequently gave lectures and speeches, wearing elaborate costumes and calling herself a children's Dame Edna Everage. She is quoted as saying that her alternative career choice would have been to be a comedian.
She collaborated with Ann M. Martin twice, with P.S. Longer Letter Later (1998) and Snail Mail No More (2000). The two would send correspondence to each other as if they were the main characters.
Paula Danziger
Paula Danziger (August 18, 1944 – July 8, 2004) was an American children's author who wrote more than 30 books, including her 1974 debut The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, for children's and young adult audiences. At the time of her death, all her books were still in print; they had been published in 53 countries and translated into 14 languages.
The Danziger family lived in Nutley, New Jersey, and Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, before settling in Metuchen, New Jersey, when Paula was in sixth grade. In an interview with BookPage, she said: "At age 12, I was put on tranquilizers when I should have gotten help. There was nothing major and awful. I just didn't feel [my family] was supportive and emotionally generous. My father was a very unhappy person, very sarcastic, and my mother [was] very nervous and worried about what people thought. They weren't monsters, but it wasn't a good childhood." She graduated from Metuchen High School.
She was encouraged to study nursing in college but instead studied to become a teacher at Montclair State University, where she was mentored by poet John Ciardi. After earning a bachelor's degree in education, Danziger taught junior high school English while pursuing a master's degree. After being injured in an automobile accident, she had trouble writing, as she was only able to write backwards. She was able to regain the ability to write normally, but she remained able to write backwards for the rest of her life. This sequence of events prompted her to do what she really want to do in life; she began writing.
Following the success of The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, Danziger left teaching to write full-time in 1978. She maintained homes in New York City and in Bearsville, New York. For several years, she had a flat in London, where she was known for presenting a regular item about children's literature on the BBC's Saturday-morning show Live & Kicking in the 1990s.
On June 9, 2004, she experienced chest pain while her niece, Carrie Danziger, was visiting. After trying to hide her discomfort and phoning a neighbor about her concern, she ultimately went to a hospital, where she was diagnosed as having suffered a heart attack. She remained in the hospital and died from complications of the heart attack at St. Luke's Hospital in Manhattan on July 8, 2004.
Following a memorial service at Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York City, Paula was buried in the Woodstock Artists Cemetery in Woodstock, New York. She was survived by her brother Barry, her niece Carrie, and three nephews.
Danziger's debut novel was The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, whose characters were largely based on her childhood experiences. She continued writing books for teens through the 1980s, expanding to books for younger readers with the Amber Brown series, whose protagonist is based on Danziger's niece Carrie. She frequently gave lectures and speeches, wearing elaborate costumes and calling herself a children's Dame Edna Everage. She is quoted as saying that her alternative career choice would have been to be a comedian.
She collaborated with Ann M. Martin twice, with P.S. Longer Letter Later (1998) and Snail Mail No More (2000). The two would send correspondence to each other as if they were the main characters.