Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff facts for kids

Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff (born in 1957) is an American author. She writes many different kinds of books. These include stories for kids and books for adults. She also writes both fiction (made-up stories) and nonfiction (true stories).

One of her most famous books is The Missing Kennedy: Rosemary Kennedy and the Secret Bonds of Four Women. This book came out in 2015. It tells about her experiences with Rosemary Kennedy. Rosemary was the sister of President John F. Kennedy. The book also talks about Elizabeth's aunt, Sister Paulus. Sister Paulus was Rosemary's caregiver and friend. The Missing Kennedy even appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List. This happened for e-book nonfiction in September 2015.

Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff also wrote an instructional book. It is called The ABCs of Writing for Children. This book was chosen by the Writer's Digest Book Club.

About Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff

Her Early Life and Education

Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She grew up nearby in Oconomowoc. When she was a teenager, she moved to California. She went to college there.

She studied two main subjects in college. These were children's theater and liberal studies. Liberal studies means learning about many different subjects. She graduated from California State University Fresno in 1979.

How She Became a Writer

In 1981, she married Robert Pentacoff. Before becoming a full-time writer, she taught elementary and middle school. She also directed plays for children's theater.

Later, she started writing for magazines and newspapers. This is called freelance writing. When her son, Christopher, was young, she wrote stories just for him. This is what inspired her to start writing books for children.

Her Writing Career

Teaching and Helping Young Writers

When Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff began writing children's books, she also taught adults. She taught teachers at California State University, East Bay. She led weekend classes on creative drama and improvisation. These classes helped people act out stories and make things up on the spot.

Later, she taught writing classes. She taught how to write for children. She also taught how to write comedy. These classes were through UC Santa Cruz Extension in Cupertino.

Since 1995, she has helped with the Young Writers Contest. This contest is run by the California Writers Club. She works with the Mt. Diablo Branch of the club.

Books She Contributed To

Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff has also contributed to anthologies. An anthology is a collection of writings by different authors. Here are some of the anthologies she has been a part of:

• Author to Editor, compiled by Linda Arms White, 1999
• Writers in the Kitchen, compiled by Tricia Gardella, Boyds Mills Press, 1998
• Classroom Celebrations, compiled by Teaching & Learning Company, 1996