Kristina Andersen

From the author: My biggest "story" is the Maddy's Guide to Life series. Maddy is loosely based on my daughter, Frances, who is the same age as Maddy.

The characters in the Maddy stories are based on the kind of kids we all knew at school, and the siblings we sometimes clashed with at home. There's Joey - the kid who is annoying but likeable. Michael - the quiet kid who's always a good friend. Amanda - the spoilt kid who sometimes surprises her classmates by being there when they need her. She's also the main target for Joey's pranks. And of course there’s Zoey, Maddy’s teenage sister. To a 9 year old, teenagers sometimes seem like they come from another planet.

I wanted to write a mixture of stories for kids - some that are laugh out loud funny and some that use gentle humor to help them deal with situations like bullying, divorce and cancer. One of the Maddy stories deals with a new girl who is always in the school office having hot chocolate. In reality, that girl was Frances who found her own Mrs. Whitehead when she started school after fighting a life threatening cancer. Thankfully, she is now in remission.

All of the Maddy stories are "road tested" by Frances's class before publication to make sure they have the all important kid seal of approval.

Maddy's Guide to Life has its own Facebook page. Please 'like' the page to find out about new Maddy stories: http://www.facebook.com/MaddysGuideToLife

Thanks for reading my books.