On February 12, 1938, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Judy Sussman entered the world. Judy's mother, Esther Sussman, read constantly and was quiet. Judy and her mother frequently went to the library. Judy's father, Dr. Rudolph Sussman, was a dreamer who loved to have fun and play. Judy and her father were very close. She called him “Doey Bird” or simply “Doey”. Judy and her father played games and he put her to bed every night. Judy also had a brother, David, who was four years older than her. David was the average older brother who annoyed and played with his younger sister. Judy was also close to her grandmother “Nanny Mama” who lived nearby. Judy loved her family and was very close to them. As a child, Judy had a great imagination; and I loved playing. Judy has always had an adoration for books; she savored the texture, the scent, and everything about them. There was one thing though, Judy wanted a book about a child that she could relate to. When Judy was about ten years old, she had to leave her home in New Jersey for Miami, Florida, with her mother, Nanny Mama and David. They were going to spend the winter in Florida because the cold in New Jersey was bad for David's health. Doey had to stay in New Jersey to run his dental practice. Judy wasn't so sure about Miami, plus she was worried about her father because he was forty-two and all of her older brothers had died by that age. At first Judy wasn't so sure about living in Miami, it was so different. Judy quickly became friends with a few girls who lived in the same building as her. They did everything together. They hung out at the beach, took ballet classes and attended the same school. Judy left Miami and returned to New Jersey for the summer. The n...... middle of paper ...... told about real situations that real children experienced. Although children loved the books, adults didn't like his books as much because they talked about things like puberty and sex. Judy never wanted people to be angry, she just wanted to write about real experiences. These topics were unheard of in children's books of the 70s and 80s. Judy spoke about the characters in her book as if they were friends. She frequently discussed it at dinner with the family. Judy has written a few adult books here and there, but she mostly sticks to writing for children. Judy is now married to George Cooper, who is also a writer. Judy currently has three adult children. Judy has only one grandchild, which makes her a grandmother. Judy lives on the east coast. Judy has a blog, her last post was about her experience with breast cancer. Judy still receives fan mail and reads them all.