HORRIBLE HARRY AND THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

Mary is always neat and organized, while Harry is horribly messy. But even Mary’s carefully planned schedule can’t help when things go wrong at her own birthday party.

The party is supposed to start with the kids from Room 3B taking an exciting train ride, but when their train is delayed not one . . . not two . . . but three times, Mary’s plan is completely ruined! She thinks the only thing that can make her feel better is cup after cup of sugary Island Punch—even after her mom tells her to stop. But what Mary doesn’t know is that Harry has his own wacky ideas for saving Mary’s big day. Can the kids still have fun even when nothing’s going the way it’s supposed to, or will this be the most horrible birthday ever?

Suzy Kline, the author of nineteen previous Horrible Harry books and four books about Song Lee, lives in Willington Connecticut with her husband, Rufus. Suzy and Rufus have been married for thirty-eight years. They met in the state where they both grew up: California. Suzy grew up in Berkeley and Rufus in Sacramento. Suzy graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in European history. She met Rufus at the Davis campus while attending that campus for a year. They got married and lived in different places, including Canada, before settling into Connecticut, the state they now call home.

Suzy taught in 5th and 6th grades at Shannon Elementary School in Richmond, California for 3 years, and 2nd and 3rd grades at Southwest Elementary School in Torrington, Connecticut for 24 years before retiring this past June. She now enjoys writing full-time and visiting schools and libraries. The couple share their home with two cats, Teeter and Hoag. They have two daughters, Jennifer and Emily, and four grandchildren: Jake, Kenna, Gabby and Saylor. A fifth grandchild is due in September, 2006. Suzy's mother just turned 96. She dedicated her most recent book, Horrible Harry Takes the Cake to her.

Suzy and Rufus enjoy attending UConn football and basketball games, and Suzy uses the UConn library as a reference for her writing facts.