Goldblatt, Stacey 1969(?)–

Personal

Born c. 1969, in Ontario, CA; married Jeremy Goldblatt (an electrical engineer); children: Ellen, Ben.

Addresses

Home and office—Encinitas, CA. E-mail—staceygo@stacegoldblatt.com.

Career

Author. Middle-school English teacher in Encinitas, CA, 1992-2001.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Writings

Stray, Delacorte Press (New York, NY), 2007.

Sidelights

In her young-adult novel debut, Stray, Stacey Goldblatt introduces readers to Natalie Kaplan, a sixteen year old whose life has been micromanaged by her over-controlling mother ever since her parents' divorce. Although the strict rules have not been much of a problem for Natalie until now, that all changes when the very handsome Carter Reed comes to stay with the family. Carter is working as a summer intern at Natalie's mom's veterinarian clinic, and he and Natalie are quickly attracted to one another. As the two teens begin dating, Natalie starts to shed her goody-two-shoes image and responds to Carter's spontaneity and free spiritedness. As mother and daughter clash, Natalie learns to make independent decisions and her mom gradually learns to let her daughter grow up.

Weaving dog-related themes and metaphors throughout Stray, Kaplan also heads each chapter of the novel with a quote about dog behavior that is culled from the obedience manual purportedly written by Natalie's dog-trainer father. In Booklist Kathleen Isaacs praised Stray for presenting a "fresh treatment of a familiar teen feeling,

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" and went on to predict that Goldblatt's novel "will attract readers who love dogs as well as a good first-love story." Calling Natalie's habit of comparing people to different breeds of dog "amusing," Miranda Doyle added in her School Library Journal review that Stray serves up a "light, enjoyable" story. In Kirkus Reviews a writer also enjoyed the novel, dubbing Goldblatt's fiction debut "light and fun."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2007, Kathleen Isaacs, review of Stray, p. 82.

Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2007, review of Stray.

School Library Journal, July, 2007, Miranda Doyle, review of Stray, p. 101.

ONLINE

North County Times Online,http://www.nctimes.com/ (August 4, 2007), Ruth Marvin Webster, "Encinitas Author In Touch with Her Inner Teen."

Stacey Goldblatt Home Page,http://www.staceygoldblatt.com (June 30, 2008).