Kidsreads.com - Author Profile: Gordon Korman

Books by
Gordon Korman

THE 39 CLUES:
CAHILLS VS. VESPERS,
Book One:
THE MEDUSA PLOT

FRAMED

THE 39 CLUES, Book Eight: THE EMPEROR'S CODE

ZOOBREAK

THE 39 CLUES: BOOK TWO, ONE FALSE NOTE

SWINDLE

SCHOOLED

SUPER BOWL SWITCH:
I Was Dan Marino
(Monday Night Football Club, No. 3)

Gordon Korman

BIO

Gordon Korman was born October 23, 1963 in Montreal, Quebec in Canada. He wrote his first book when he was 12 years old. “It wasn't on purpose.” Gordon says, “In my school, the track and field coach had to teach language arts, and for writing, he just told us to work on whatever we wanted for the rest of the year.” As the class monitor for Arrow Book Club, he sent his manuscript to Scholastic. THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING AT MCDONALD HALL was published in 1978, when Gordon was fourteen. He now has 65 novels to his credit, most recently The Juvie Three. Future projects include a SWINDLE sequel and the second book in the Scholastic series The 39 Clues.

What is the secret to Gordon’s success? “It's a combination between real life and pure imagination,” he states. “I always start off with something real, but then I unleash my imagination to make it more exciting, funnier, or a better story. To be honest, by the time a book is done, you can't recognize much of the real-life part. It's been changed too much. But I never could have gotten there without it.”

With the publication of the Island trilogy in 2001, Gordon made the leap from humor to suspense. “It was a real challenge for me because I had to switch gears from comedy to action/adventure,” says Gordon. “Here were six shipwrecked kids who were in real danger of dying every minute. That's not the time to be cracking jokes. So it's not humor that keeps the reader turning pages; it's suspense and fear.”

The Island trilogy was a success and he followed them with two other trilogies. Everest is the story of four kids competing to be the youngest person ever to reach the top of Mt. Everest. Dive chronicles the adventures of four kids who unearth a sunken treasure when they spend the summer on a marine expedition.

Gordon's six-book On the Run series, marks another shift in his writing style. “The idea to feature kids who are wanted by the FBI was a real change of direction in my adventure writing,” says Gordon. “In my trilogies, the danger derives from the setting – an island, a mountain, shark-infested waters. But when you’re a fugitive, the entire world becomes dangerous for you. In a way, it’s scarier than an eighteen-foot shark, because you can’t get away from it. No matter where you go, your face is still in the newspapers and on TV. That’s something you can never escape.”

Gordon first came to the United States as a college student in the film and film-writing department at New York University. He now lives with his wife and children on Long Island, NY.

AUTHOR TALK

December 2008

The Lucian branch of the Cahill family has been spying on Gordon Korman, author of THE 39 CLUES, BOOK 2: ONE FALSE NOTE. The Lucians have sent top agent Ian Kabra to find out what Gordon really knows about the Cahills and the 39 Clues hidden around the world that lead to the source of their power. Read this interview to find out what confidential information Gordon is willing to spill, and what secrets he’s keeping for himself!

Ian Kabra: Who are you? Why are you writing these LIES about my family?

Gordon Korman: There are no lies, Ian. I’m one of an elite group of authors entrusted to tell the story of the greatest mystery of the past five hundred years. You know as well as I do that your family, the Cahills, are the most influential clan in human history. Now the secret of that lost power is hidden within 39 clues scattered across the globe. My part of that epic is called ONE FALSE NOTE, but I’m afraid I can’t tell you exactly what the title means. Perhaps one false note between you and the next clue. Or one false note and you’re dead. Or maybe both.

IK: Do you have information on Amy and Dan Cahill? Tell me everything OR ELSE!

GK: On the surface, Amy and Dan are very much the bickering, wisecracking sister and brother they appear to be. Yet, as you’ve seen, they are sometimes capable of towering courage, incredible resourcefulness, and brilliant reasoning. Right now, they are criss-crossing Europe in search of the very same clues that all the competing branches of the family are after. I could say more, but that would be telling, wouldn’t it? Surely you don’t need my help to gain the upper hand on two poor orphans with only their 19-year-old au pair to look after them?

IK: I see from the security report that you call yourself an author. Tell the truth --- are you a spy for the Janus branch?

GK: I’m no spy, but I can see why you’d associate a writer with the Janus branch. Many of the greatest artists of all time have been Janus, from Mozart to Picasso to Steven Spielberg. But this family branch’s talents go far beyond that. What about Gervais Raoul Lufbery? He was a World War I flying ace who kept a live lion in the barracks to shine his shoes. Perhaps you aren’t as brilliant as you think you are, Ian. You have to learn to think outside the box.

IK: Why you? What makes you think you're qualified to be this so-called "author"?

GK: Well, I'm no Mozart. He was experimenting with a harpsichord, finding "notes that like each other" at age three. But I do have some experience with getting an early start. I wrote my first book when I was twelve for a seventh-grade English assignment. More than thirty years later, I’ve written sixty-five books, which have been translated into fourteen different languages. That means my novels are in almost as many corners of the globe as the 39 Clues --- although you don’t have to risk your life to find them. I’ve won many awards, had bestsellers, and visited hundreds of schools and libraries to talk to my readers --- and you know what? Many of them are not so different from Amy and Dan, and maybe even you, Ian, if you’d lighten up a little. So, yeah, I'm qualified. I might even be able to think like a Cahill --- except that I have no desire for world domination. I'm satisfied just to write about it.

IK: You’ve been poking your nose into things that don’t concern you. What have you learned about that hack, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

GK: Again, the narrow-minded view. When you hear Mozart, you assume it has to be Wolfgang. But what about Wolfgang’s sister Nannerl? She was also a prodigy, and every inch the genius her brother was, although eighteenth-century attitudes toward women kept her from becoming as well known. And most important of all, Nannerl Mozart was 100 percent Cahill!

IK: You Janus have been hiding Mozart’s true grave, haven’t you? HAVEN’T YOU?

GK: Very clever, Ian. Mozart was penniless when he died, so he was buried in a pauper’s grave. And yes, it’s possible that the Janus have his remains. But it’s just as likely you’re missing the real point --- that the grave itself isn’t as important as the reason why the most acclaimed composer of all time was so poor. What was he spending his money on? What great purpose could he have been working toward?

IK: A truthful answer to this question could save your life: Where is Jonah Wizard and what does he know?

GK: I hope you’re kidding. If you want to find Jonah Wizard, just watch TV --- he’s the hottest recording artist and reality TV star on the face of the earth. Or is that what bothers you --- that there’s someone after the clues who’s even more of a heavy hitter than you are?

IK: My 11-year-old sister could take you out. How did YOU learn about the Cahill family and the Clue hunt? Not that the Clue hunt exists, but still.

GK: You Cahills aren’t the only ones with secrets, you know. Suffice it to say that a clandestine meeting took place in New York City. Certain pieces of information were exchanged. There was an online game involved and trading cards bearing unique codes. Sorry, I can’t say more …

IK: Ha! Try to escape, will you? You’re not going anywhere until you tell me about Irina Spasky!

GK: Not much has been discovered about Irina Spasky, except that she has already forgotten more about the art of spying and espionage than the rest of you will ever know. I’ve seen a dossier on her background, but I was not permitted to look inside it. All I could make out were three stenciled letters on a weathered file folder --- K.G.B.

IK: Have you been in touch with that snoop, Rick Riordan? Why are all of you Americans so nosy?

GK: Now you’re going too far. I’m not going to tell you anything about Rick Riordan. He risked everything to bring the story of the first 39 Clues book, THE MAZE OF BONES, to the world. Listen up, Kabra --- you mess with him at your peril. He’s got powerful friends, and some of them come from Mount Olympus!

IK: What would YOU do --- take the million dollars or take a Clue?

GK: I’d take the money any day. I don’t have the kind of ambition that drives you and your family. I have no desire to be the most powerful human on the planet. Besides, you Cahills play too rough for me. Too many of your cousins meet with unfortunate “accidents” when The 39 Clues are involved. I don’t know if Amy and Dan stand a chance against you, with your vastly superior connections, inside info, and never-ending supply of cash. But I’ll tell you this --- I’m rooting for the Cahills!