Lynne Rae Perkins was awarded the Newbery Medal for Criss Cross. She is the author of five other novels—Violet and Jobie in the Wild, All Alone in the Universe, As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth, Nuts to You, and Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea. Lynne Rae Perkins has also written and illustrated several acclaimed picture books, including Frank and Lucky Get Schooled; The Broken Cat; Snow Music: Pictures from Our Vacation; and The Cardboard Piano. The author lives with her family in northern Michigan.