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 picture books, historical fiction, mysteries, adventure, nonfiction, and biographies. They have won numerous awards, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, American Honor Book Award, New York Academy of Sciences Award, Christopher Award, Golden Kite Award, and with illustrator David Small, the 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... Was there a turning point in the young lives of four of our presidents that set them on a path to the White House?"

As for her love of books and love of writing for children, Judith says: "Books have given me such a lifetime of pleasure that I hope the books I write will repay that debt in some small way."

Follow the little black dog at the bottom of the page to find out more about Judith's many books.