LEVETE, Sarah 1961-

PERSONAL:

Born December 9, 1961, in United Kingdom; married Keith Newell (a designer), May 29, 1997; children: Jack, Eliza. Education: Sussex University, B.A. (with honors), 1985.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Aladdin Books, 2-3 Fitzroy Mews, London W1T 6DJ, England. E-mail—sarah@levete.fsnet.co.uk.

CAREER:

British Council Public Theatre Network, arts administrator, 1986-94; Aladdin Books, Two-Can, and Dorling Kindersley, London, England, senior editor, 1994-2001; writer and editor, 2001—.

MEMBER:

British Society of Authors.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Editor's choice citation, Books for Keeps, 1996, for How Do I Feel about Loneliness and Making Friends.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

How Do I Feel about Looking after Myself, Franklin Watts (London, England), 1996, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1998.

How Do I Feel about Loneliness and Making Friends, Franklin Watts (London, England), 1996, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1998.

How Do I Feel about Being Jealous, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1999.

Ladders ("Mighty Machines" series), Two-Can Press (London, England), 1999.

How Do I Feel about When People Die, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1998.

Rivers and Lakes, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 1999.

I Can Smile, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2001, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 2002.

A Closer Look at Rivers and Lakes, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2001.

I Can Speak Up, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2001, Copper Beech Books (Brookfield, CT), 2002.

Talking about Alcohol, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2004.

Talking about Drugs, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2004.

Talking about Step Families, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2004.

Talking about Health and Eating, Franklin Watts (London, England), 2004.

Mean Machines: Monster Trucks, Raintree (London, England), 2004.

OTHER

Tommy's Working Pregnancy Guide (adult nonfiction), Tommy's Baby Charity, 2004.

Spider-Man Annual 2004 (fiction), Alligator Books (London, England), 2004.

Spider-Man Sticker Book, Alligator Books (London, England), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Sarah Levete once commented: "I find it particularly rewarding to write about feelings and personal and social issues. Childhood is full of pleasure and fun, but it is also full of difficult and painful feelings. It is reassuring for a child to know that his or her feeling or situation is not uncommon—reading about it doesn't make the difficulty disappear—but it can offer some support and reassurance."

Levete has written a series of easy-to-read nonfiction titles on some of the most difficult issues facing children: the death of a loved one, drug and alcohol abuse, loneliness, peer pressure, and self-assertiveness. Her books set up scenarios and then ask the reader to come up with solutions, realizing that many questions have no easy answers. Booklist contributor Susan Dove Lempke characterized the "How Do I Feel About" series as "useful, attractive books." While Stephani Hutchinson in School Library Journal liked the fact that the reading series is "accessible to readers," she also called Levete's books "useful resources for classroom units."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 1999, Susan Dove Lempke, review of How Do I Feel about Being Jealous, p. 264.

School Library Journal, August, 1998, Stephani Hutchinson, reviews of How Do I Feel about Loneliness and Making Friends and How Do I Feel about Looking after Myself, p. 152.