Judith St.George's first effort at writing wasn't a book. It was a one-act play she wrote in the sixth grade. She also directed, produced and acted in the play, which she and her friends put on for their classmates. Her first real book, published in 1969, was an historical fiction set during the American Revolution.

Since then, Judith has written some forty books - historical fiction, mysteries, adventure, nonfiction and biographies. They have won numerous awards, including the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1980, American Honor Book Award in 1983, New York Academy of Sciences Award in 1983, Christopher Award in 1985, Golden Kite Award in 1990 and, with illustrator David Small, the 2001 Caldecott Medal.

Four of Judith's books are titled the Turning Point Books. "Sometimes there is a happening in our lives that changes the way we think about ourselves and sends us along a new path. These turning points can come when we are young - through a person we meet, an experience we have, a difficulty we overcome. Since 1789, only forty-two people have been president of the United States... Was there a turning point in their young lives that caused them to change direction and set them on a path that led to the White House?"

Follow the little black dog at the bottom of the page to find out more about the Turning Point Books as well as Judith's many other books.