KRASKE, Robert

PERSONAL:

Born in Detroit, MI.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Orchard Books, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

CAREER:

Author of children's books; editor.

WRITINGS:

Crystals of Life: The Story of Salt, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1968.

Silent Sentinels: The Story of Locks, Vaults, and Burglar Alarms, Doubleday (Garden City, NY), 1969.

The Treason of Benedict Arnold, 1780: An American General Becomes His Country's First Traitor, Watts (New York, NY), 1970.

The Statue of Liberty Comes to America, illustrated by Victor Mays, Garrad Publishing Company (Champaign, IL), 1972.

America the Beautiful: Stories of Patriotic Songs, Garrad Publishing Company (Champaign, IL), 1972.

Harry Houdini, Master of Magic, Garrad Publishing Company (Champaign, IL), 1973.

The Story of the Dictionary, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (New York, NY), 1975.

Is There Life in Outer Space?, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (New York, NY), 1976.

The Sea Robbers, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (New York, NY), 1977.

The Twelve Million Dollar Note: Strange but True Tales of Messages Found in Seagoing Bottles, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1977.

Daredevils Do Amazing Things, illustrated by Ivan Powell, Random House (New York, NY), 1978.

Magicians Do Amazing Things, illustrated by Richard Bennett, Random House (New York, NY), 1979.

Riddles of the Stars: White Dwarfs, Red Giants, and Black Holes, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich (New York, NY), 1979.

(And illustrator) Asteroids: Invaders from Space, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1995.

The Voyager's Stone: The Adventures of a Message-Carrying Bottle Adrift on the Ocean Sea, illustrated by Brian Floca, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1995.

SIDELIGHTS:

Robert Kraske began his career as an editor of a children's magazine, but started writing books for children in 1964. He has written both fiction and nonfiction books that cover a wide range of topics, from history to science.

Three of Kraske's titles confront themes of intrigue. Silent Sentinels: The Story of Locks, Vaults, and Burglar Alarms explains the workings of these anti-theft devices, from ancient times to the present, while Harry Houdini, Master of Magic provides an account of the man who achieved fame and fortune by defying such devices. A third book, Magicians Do Amazing Things, further explores the techniques by which magicians elicit seemingly impossible effects.

American history has also provided Kraske with material for several books, including The Treason of Benedict Arnold, 1780: An American General Becomes His Country's First Traitor, America the Beautiful: Stories of Patriotic Songs, and The Statue of Liberty Comes to America. The Story of the Dictionary explains the history of the dictionary and describes the process by which dictionaries are made.

Kraske's titles relating to the sciences have earned particular praise. In two different books, he describes what happens when people put messages into bottles that they then throw into the sea. The Twelve Million Dollar Note: Strange but True Tales of Messages Found in Seagoing Bottles presents a collection of true stories about these messages and how they were found. A later title, The Voyager's Stone: The Adventures of a Message-Carrying Bottle Adrift on the Ocean Sea explains the science of ocean currents and discusses coastal ecosystems where bottles with messages have washed ashore. According to Mary Harris Veeder in Booklist, Kraske's approach in this book is exceptionally engaging. Among Kraske's books on space are Is There Life in Outer Space?, Riddles of the Stars: White Dwarfs, Red Giants, and Black Holes, and Asteroids: Invaders from Space. Booklist reviewer Julie Yates Walton praised Asteroids for its readable style and rich descriptions, concluding that the book "makes the mind-boggling accessible."

Kraske has also written a novel for young readers, The Sea Robbers, which features pirates, a kidnapping, and a subsequent rescue attempt in colonial Massachusetts.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1995, Mary Harris Veeder, review of The Voyager's Stone: The Adventures of a Message-Carrying Bottle Adrift on the Ocean Sea, p. 1237; July, 1995, Julie Yates Walton, review of Asteroids: Invaders from Space, p. 1875.

School Library Journal, March, 1980, Helen Gregory, review of Magicians Do Amazing Things, p. 122; March, 1995, Steven Engelfried, review of The Voyager's Stone, p. 214; September, 1995, Margaret M. Hagel, review of Asteroids,, p. 210.*