Carol Gorman facts for kids

Carol Gorman (born February 16, 1952) is an American author who writes exciting books for kids. She writes many different kinds of stories, especially mysteries and suspense novels. Before becoming a writer, she dreamed of being an actress and even taught seventh grade! Her husband, Ed Gorman, who was also a writer, inspired her to start writing. Carol Gorman has published over 22 books and continues to write and teach today.

About Carol Gorman

Carol Gorman was born Carol Maxwell in Iowa City, Iowa. She grew up there with her sister and two brothers. When she was young, Carol loved to perform. She even dreamed of becoming an actress! While studying at the University of Iowa, she played the main roles in famous musicals like West Side Story and Peter Pan. After college, she became a teacher. She taught seventh graders in Iowa. In the 1980s, she married Edward Gorman, who was a writer. He encouraged her to try writing too.

Her Writing Journey

Carol Gorman started writing because of her husband, Ed. He read some letters she had sent to her family and told her she was a great writer. Since he was already a published author, Carol decided to give it a try. She read many books to learn how to write well. She wrote two books before her first one was published.

Books for Young Readers

Carol Gorman has written at least 22 books. She publishes them under her own name, Carol Gorman. She has also used the pen name Jane Ballard for some books. She has even worked as a ghost writer for other authors. This means she wrote books for them without her name being on the cover.

Carol Gorman is one of the many authors who have written for the popular Nancy Drew mystery series. She wrote three Nancy Drew books in 1989 and 1990. Many of her own books are mystery and suspense novels for children.

Sharing Her Skills

Besides writing, Carol Gorman also helps other young writers. She leads writing workshops at elementary and middle schools. She also teaches part-time at Coe College in Iowa.

While most of her books are fiction, she also wrote a non-fiction book called "America’s Farm Crisis." This book was for sixth-grade students. It was praised for explaining the farm crisis in America very well.

Award-Winning Books

Many of Carol Gorman's books have won awards or received special recognition.

• Chelsey and the Green-Haired Kid was named an outstanding book for kids who don't like to read much by the American Library Association. It also won the Ethical Culture Book Award. This book was nominated for four state young readers' awards. It was even recommended in a Ladies' Home Journal article about getting kids to love books.

• Dork in Disguise won the 2002 South Carolina Association of School Librarians (SCASL) Junior Book Award. It also won the Children's Choice Award (2001–02), the Mark Twain Readers Award (2002), and the Sequoyah Children's Book Award (2002). It was an Honor Book for the Massachusetts Children's Book Award (2003-2004).

• The Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Bigotry and Human Rights gave an honorable mention to Carol Gorman and Ron Findley for their book Stumptown Kid in 2005. This book also won the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People in 2006.

List of Books

Here are some of the books Carol Gorman has written:

• America's Farm Crisis (1987)
• Chelsey and the Green-Haired Kid (1987)
• T. J. and the Pirate Who Wouldn't Go Home (1990)
• It's Not Fair (1992)
• The Biggest Bully in Brookdale (1990)
• Die for Me (1992)
• Graveyard Moon (1993)
• The Great Director (1993)
• Skin Deep (1993)
• Nobody's Friend (1993)
• The Richest Kid in the World (1993)
• Brian's Footsteps (1994)
• The Taming of Roberta Parsley (1994)
• Million Dollar Winner (1994)
• The Rumor (1994)
• The Miraculous Makeover of Lizard Flanagan (1994)
• Jennifer-the-Jerk Is Missing (1994)
• Back from the Dead (1995)
• Vrai Ou Faux (1996)
• The Bugman Lives! (1996) (with R. L. Stine)
• Lizard Flanagan, Supermodel? (1998)
• Dork In Disguise (1999)
• Felonious Felines (2000) (editor with Ed Gorman)
• L'Homme Insecte (2000)
• Dork on the Run (2002)
• A Midsummer Night's Dork (2004)
• Games (2007)
• Stumptown Kid (2005) (co-author with Ron J. Findley)