Peg Kehret facts for kids
Peg Kehret (born Margaret Ann Schulze; November 11, 1936 – December 7, 2025) was a beloved American author. She wrote many books, mostly for young readers aged 10 to 15. When she was 12, Peg bravely fought and recovered from three types of polio. This experience deeply shaped her life and writing. Throughout her career, she became a highly awarded author, earning over fifty honors for her children's, young adult, and adult books.
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Peg Kehret's Early Life and Inspiration
Margaret Ann Schulze was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on November 11, 1936. Her childhood took an unexpected turn in 1949 when she was 12 years old. She became ill with polio, a serious sickness that affected her body.
Overcoming Challenges: Her Polio Journey
Peg experienced all three types of polio, which caused her to be unable to move her body from the neck down. She spent nine months in the hospital recovering. This challenging time changed her life forever. She later wrote about this experience in her 1996 memoir, Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio. Amazingly, Peg made a full recovery. She only had some lasting effects from what is called post-polio syndrome later in life.
After her recovery, Peg graduated from Austin High School. She then attended the University of Minnesota for a year. In 1955, she married Carl Kehret. They moved to California and adopted two children, a son named Bob and a daughter named Anne.
A Heart for Animals and Family
In 1970, the Kehret family moved to Washington. Carl, Peg's husband, passed away in 2004. Peg was a grandmother to four grandchildren: Brett, Chelsea, Eric, and Mark. She also had a great-grandson named Seth, who lives in Washington. Peg lived near the beautiful Mt. Rainier National Park.
Peg loved visiting schools across the country to talk about her books. She used to spend six weeks each spring and fall doing this. However, she later had to reduce these visits because of difficulties from post-polio syndrome. Besides writing, Peg dedicated much of her life to helping animals. She volunteered at the Seattle humane society for more than 25 years. Her love for animals inspired many of her fictional stories. After her husband passed away, she continued to foster cats. She also wrote a "Pet of the Month" column for her local newspaper. Peg Kehret passed away on December 7, 2025, at the age of 89.
Peg Kehret's Writing Career
Before becoming a well-known children's author, Peg Kehret wrote many different things. She created plays, wrote commercials for the radio, and published stories in magazines. Her decision to write for children came from a strong belief. She felt that children's books were important for helping kids. She wanted to undo any negative effects from mainstream media, movies, and video games. Instead, she aimed to teach young readers about empathy and understanding others.
Why She Wrote for Kids
In her books for middle school students, Peg skillfully wove in important lessons. Her stories often showed characters growing and facing age-appropriate moral dilemmas. She wrote 46 books for young people, including four children's drama books. Her goal was always to entertain while also teaching valuable life lessons.
Exploring Different Story Worlds
Peg Kehret's books covered many exciting topics. She wrote memoirs, which are true stories from her own life. Her most famous memoir is Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio. This book shares her personal journey with polio in great detail. She also wrote thrilling natural disaster novels. Books like Escaping the Giant Wave and Earthquake Terror used fictional adventures to teach children about safety during natural events.
Her deep love for animals inspired many stories, such as Saving Lilly and her popular Pete The Cat trilogy. Peg also wrote many exciting mystery and adventure novels. Some of her most popular include Stolen Children, Abduction!, and Runaway Twin. She even created a series of eight books called Frightmares, perfect for readers who enjoy a good scare.
Awards and Recognition for Peg Kehret's Books
Peg Kehret's books for young people were very popular and received much praise. She earned many honors throughout her career. These included the Pen Center West Award in Children's Literature and the Golden Kite Award. This award comes from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She also won Children's Choice Awards from 29 different states. This shows how much young readers loved her stories!
Favorite Author Among Young Readers
Many of Peg Kehret's books were chosen by the American Library Association. They were recommended for readers who might not always enjoy reading. In total, her books won over fifty state young reader awards. This means children in many states voted for her books as their favorites.
Her memoir, Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio, received a special "starred review" from Kirkus Reviews. It also won the 1998 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award. This award is decided each year by a vote from Vermont schoolchildren. In 1999, it won the Mark Twain Readers Award. This is another award where schoolchildren in Missouri (grades 4 to 6) vote for their favorite books. The Mark Twain Award recognized four of her books between 1999 and 2012. These were Abduction!, Runaway Twin, Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio, and Stolen Children.
In 2001, her book Don’t Tell Anyone was chosen as one of the "Children’s Choices." This project involves 10,000 schoolchildren across the country voting on new books they enjoyed. In 2010, Peg received the Charlotte Award for her book Stolen Children. This award is sponsored by the New York State Reading Association.
Selected Works
Here are some of Peg Kehret's well-loved books:
Fiction Books
- Deadly Stranger (1987) ISBN: 9780396090397
- Earthquake Terror (1996) ISBN: 9780525652267
- Escaping the Giant Wave (2003) ISBN: 9780689852725
- Abduction! (2006) ISBN: 9780142406175
- Stolen Children (2008) ISBN: 9780525478355
- Runaway Twin (2009) ISBN: 9780525421771
Pete the Cat Series
- The Stranger Next Door (2002) ISBN: 9780525468295
- Spy Cat (2003) ISBN: 9780142401514
- Trapped (2006) ISBN: 9780525477280
Drama Books
- Winning Monologues for Young Actors (1986) ISBN: 9781439510230
- Tell It Like It Is: Fifty Monologues for Talented Teens (2007) ISBN: 9781566081443
Nonfiction Books
- Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio (1996) ISBN: 9780807574577
- Shelter Dogs: Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays (1999) ISBN: 9781627652377
- Animals Welcome: A Life of Reading, Writing, and Rescue (2012) ISBN: 9780525423997
