Greenburg, Dan 1936–

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Greenburg, Dan 1936–

PERSONAL: Born June 20, 1936, in Chicago, IL; son of Samuel (an artist) and Leah Greenburg; married Nora Ephron (a journalist), April 9, 1967 (divorced); married Suzanne O'Malley (a writer and editor), June 28, 1980 (divorced); children: (second marriage) Zack. Education: University of Illinois, B.A., 1958; University of California, Los Angeles, M.A., 1960. Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—Hastings, NY. Agent—Owen Laster, William Morris Agency, 1325 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Freelance author, 1965–. Lansdale Co. (advertising agency), Los Angeles, CA, copywriter, 1960–61; Carson/Roberts (advertising agency), Los Angeles, copywriter, 1961–62; Eros Magazine, New York, NY, managing editor, 1962–63; Papert, Koening, Lois (advertising agency), New York, NY, copywriter, 1963–65. Has performed stand-up comedy at clubs, including The Improv; has appeared on television programs Larry King Live, Late Night with David Letterman, and others.

MEMBER: Authors Guild, Authors League of America, Mystery Writers of America, Dramatists Guild, Writers Guild of America West.

WRITINGS:

FOR CHILDREN

Jumbo the Boy and Arnold the Elephant, illustrated by Susan Perl, Bobbs-Merrill, 1969.

The Bed Who Ran away from Home, illustrated by John Wallner, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1991.

Young Santa, illustrated by Warren Miller, Viking Penguin (New York, NY), 1991.

Claws, Random House (New York, NY), 2006.

"ZACK FILES" CHAPTER-BOOK SERIES

Great-Grandpa's in the Litter Box, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1996.

Through the Medicine Cabinet, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1996.

A Ghost Named Wanda, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1996.

Zap! I'm a Mind Reader, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1996.

Dr. Jekyll, Orthodontist, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1997.

I'm out of My Body … Please Leave a Message, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1997.

Never Trust a Cat Who Wears Earrings, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1997.

My Son, the Time Traveler, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1997.

The Volcano Goddess Will See You Now, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1997.

Bozo the Clone, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1997.

How to Speak Dolphin in Three Easy Lessons, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1997.

Now You See Me … Now You Don't, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1998.

The Misfortune Cookie, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1998.

Elvis the Turnip—and Me, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1998.

Yipes! Grandma's a Teenager, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1999.

How I Fixed the Year 1000 Problem, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1999.

Hang a Left at Venus, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1999.

Evil Queen Tut and the Great Ant Pyramids, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 1999.

This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2000.

How I Went from Bad to Verse, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2000.

Don't Count on Dracula, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2000.

The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2000.

My Grandma, Major-League Slugger, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Greenish Eggs and Dinosaurs, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Trapped in the Museum of Unnatural History, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

Tell a Lie and Your Butt Will Grow, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

My Teacher Ate My Homework, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

Me and My Mummy, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Just Add Water and—Scream!, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

It's Itchcraft!, illustrated by Jack E. Davis, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2003.

"MAXIMUM BOY" CHAPTER-BOOK SERIES

Maximum Boy, Starring In: The Day Everything Tasted like Broccoli, illustrated by Greg Swearingen, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Maximum Boy, Starring In: The Hijacking of Manhattan, illustrated by Greg Swearingen, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Maximum Boy, Starring In: Invasion from the Planet of the Cows, illustrated by Greg Swearingen, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Maximum Boy, Starring In: Superhero—or Super Thief?, illustrated by Greg Swearingen, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Maximum Boy, Starring In: Meet Super Sid, Crime-fighting Kid, illustrated by Greg Swearingen, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

Maximum Boy, Starring In: Maximum Girl Unmasked, illustrated by Greg Swearingen, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

Maximum Boy, Starring In: Attack of the Soggy Underwater People, illustrated by Greg Swearingen, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2002.

Maximum Boy, Starring In: The Worst Bully in the Entire Universe, illustrated by Greg Swearingen, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

"SECRETS OF DRIPPING FANG" CHAPTER-BOOK SERIES

The Onts, illustrated by Scott M. Fischer, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days, illustrated by Scott M. Fischer, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

Fall of the House of Mandible, illustrated by Scott M. Fischer, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

The Vampire's Curse, illustrated by Scott M. Fischer, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

The Shluffmuffin Boy Is History, illustrated by Scott M. Fischer, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

Attack of the Giant Octopus, illustrated by Scott M. Fischer, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

"WEIRD PLANET" CHAPTER-BOOK SERIES

Dude, Where's My Spaceship?, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan, Random House (New York, NY), 2006.

Lost in Las Vegas, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan, Random House (New York, NY), 2006.

Chilling with the Great Ones, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan, Random House (New York, NY), 2006.

Attack of the Evil Elvises, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan, Random House (New York, NY), 2006.

FOR ADULTS

How to Be a Jewish Mother (also see below), illustrated by Gerry Gerstein, Price, Stern, Sloan (New York, NY), 1964, published as How to Be a Jewish Mother: A Very Lovely Training Manual, 1975, published as How to Be a Jewish Mother: Updated! Expanded at Great Personal Sacrifice, Putnam (New York, NY), 1992.

(With Marcia Jacobs) How to Make Yourself Miserable: Another Vital Training Manual, illustrated by Mary Rubin, Random House (New York, NY), 1966, published as How to Make Yourself Miserable for the Rest of the Century: Another Vital Training Manual, Vintage (New York, NY), 1987.

How to Be a Jewish Mother (stage play; adapted from his book), produced in New York, NY, 1967.

Arf (one-act play), produced in New York, NY, 1969.

The Great Airplane Snatch (one-act play), produced in New York, NY, 1969.

Chewsday (novel), Stein & Day (New York, NY), 1969.

Philly (novel), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1969.

Porno-graphics: The Shame of Our Art Museums, Random House (New York, NY), 1969.

Scoring: A Sexual Memoir, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1972.

Something's There, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1976.

Love Kills, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1978.

What Do Women Want? (novel), Wyndham Books, 1982.

(With Suzanne O'Malley; self-illustrated) How to Avoid Love and Marriage, Freundlich, 1983.

True Adventures, Freundlich, 1985.

Confessions of a Pregnant Father, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1986.

The Nanny, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Exes, Houghton Mifflin (New York, NY), 1990.

Moses Supposes: The Bible as Told to Dan Greenburg, Barricade Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Author of screenplays; contributor to plays, including Oh! Calcutta! (produced in New York, NY 1969), Grove, 1969. Work included in over thirty anthologies, among them Twentieth Century Parody: American and British and Esquire's World of Humor. Contributor to periodicals, including New Yorker, New York Times Book Review, Newsweek, Cosmopolitan, Playboy, Vanity Fair, Time, Ms., Esquire, Writer, and New York.

Author's books have been translated into numerous languages.

SIDELIGHTS: Beginning his writing career penning books and plays for adults, Dan Greenburg has gone on to generate legions of fans among younger readers since shifting his focus to children's books. A prolific writer with dozens of titles to his credit, Greenburg specializes in chapter books for middle-graders, most of which are part of his "Zack Files," "Maximum Boy," "Secrets of Dripping Fang," and "Weird Planet" series. While their focus may be on zombies, space aliens, and preteen crime-fighters rather than adult issues, his books for preteens share with their adult-oriented counterparts the author's characteristic brand of over-the-top humor, with one exception: his word play and tongue-in-cheek delivery are heavily salted with a gross-out humor that has made his books particularly popular with boys of a certain age.

The first of Greenburg's popular chapter-book series, the "Zack Files" books follow ten-year old Zack as he gets tangled up in a string of remarkable situations, many of them playing upon children's fascination with the supernatural and paranormal. Inspired by Greenburg's own son, the novels are narrated in a quippy style that critics have found genial and sometimes hilarious. Their quirky titles also serve as a lure for readers out of their comfort zone in a school library. In Great-Grandpa's in the Litter Box, for example, Zack brings home a cat that claims to be a reincarnation of the boy's Yiddish great-grandfather, while Through the Medicine Cabinet finds the boy stumbling into another dimension, courtesy of his mirror-image alter ego, Zeke. In A Ghost Named Wanda an eight-year-old poltergeist makes her needs known by spelling them out with candies, while a science experiment gone awry gives Zack the ability to read others' thoughts in Zap! I'm a Mind Reader. In Tell a Lie and Your Butt Will Grow, Zack's science-fair project is in jeopardy when his partner's fibbing results in a Pinocchio-like effect on the boy's backside, while Just Add Water and—Scream! follows the boy as he joins his dad and friend Spencer to save the world from power-crazy spores accidentally released at a local space museum.

Praising Tell a Lie and Your Butt Will Grow for School Library Journal, Elaine E. Knight praised the book's "off-the-wall humor and underlying emphasis on honesty." "Short and snappy," Greenburg's "Zack Files" books "should find an audience, especially among reluctant readers," noted Ilene Cooper in Booklist. "Kids will find some of the episodes [in these stories] tremendously funny," remarked Elaine E. Knight in School Library Journal, identifying comic bits based on bathroom humor and avenging a bully. Predicting the popularity of the series, School Library Journal critic Molly S. Kinney added that "the simple sentence structure and believable dialogue make for fast reads," while "Greenburg's sense of humor and zingy one-liners add a humorous touch."

Other series by Greenburg include the "Secrets of Dripping Fang" books, which follow the Shluffmuffin twins who, like Zack, are ten years old and constantly tapped for fantastic adventures. Orphaned after their dad met an horrific end in a Porta-john and Mom was smothered by rabbits, Wally and Cheyenne fear they will be lifers at the Jolly Days orphanage. Finally adopted, things go from bad to worse in The Onts, as the twins discover that the elderly Mandible sisters, their new adoptive "parents," are actually giant ants intent on raising a race of super-ants in their basement in a forest near Cincinnati, with the goal of taking over Planet Earth. Brought to life in illustrations by Scott M. Fisher, the twins' adventures continue in Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days, which "unfolds like a funny version of a child's worst nightmare," according to Booklist contributor Nancy Kim. An icky encounter with their zombified dad and their continued attempts to stay a feeler ahead of the malevolent Mandible sisters serve as the core of this installment, and things go from really bad to much worse in The Shluffmuffin Boy Is History and Attack of the Giant Octopus.

Praised by School Library Review critic Quinby Frank as a "fast-paced science-fiction adventure that's full of goofy humor" and "perfect" for graduates of easy readers, Greenburg's "Weird Planet" series opens with Dude, Where's My Spaceship? The story finds space aliens Klatu, Lek, and Ploo crash their dad's spaceship somewhere in Nevada. When little Ploo is captured by members of the U.S. military, her older brothers must figure out how to blend in with humans and rescue her. Praised as a "nonstop knee-slapper" by a Kirkus Reviews writer, Dude, Where's My Spaceship? has been followed by Lost in Las Vegas, Chilling with the Great One, and Attack of the Evil Elvises, as the siblings manage to avoid detection, link up with other Earthbound aliens, retrieve their shop from Area 51, and find a way to return to their home planet of Loogl. Each of the stories include humorous line drawings by illustrator Macky Pamintuan.

In addition to series fiction, Greenburg has also written several standalone novels for children, the first of which was also his very first book for children. Jumbo the Boy and Arnold the Elephant pokes gentle fun at the blind love parents have for their children, however "flawed" those children might be. Called a "far-fetched but amusing whimsy" by Library Journal critic Susan T. Halbreich, the story follows a baby boy and baby elephant after they are switched at birth by a near-sighted nurse. Greenburg's humor stems from the awkward situation of the parents, both human and elephant, who perceive the shortcomings in their offspring but try not to make them feel bad about it. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews noted that Greenburg's "humor is as broad as an elephant's backside," and Halbreich claimed that those readers able to "bridge the credibility gap" will find this a droll treat.

More than twenty years after the appearance of Jumbo the Boy and Arnold the Elephant, Greenburg was once again inspired to write for children, and The Bed Who Ran away from Home was the result. Like his earlier book, Greenburg takes off running with a silly premise, this time grounded in children's universal distaste for going to bed. In the story, a bunk bed shared by twins Nan and Ned feels slighted when the children are two hours late coming to bed one night. With hurt feelings, the bunk bed decides to leave home, and strikes out on his own, alone, ignored, and, abandoned. A critic for the Children's Book Review Service praised the author's "clever, regular rhyming" text, and Ruth K. MacDonald in School Library Journal dubbed The Bed Who Ran away from Home "a delightful romp before bedtime."

Another standalone book for middle graders, Young Santa presents a parody of classic Christmas stories structured as a biography of the youthful Santa Claus. With his typically on-target humor, Greenburg depicts the struggling young Claus at work in a department store, where he is told to sit in a big chair and ask young children what they had for breakfast. "Greenburg's tongue is so firmly in his cheek he almost pokes a hole through it," averred Cooper in Booklist, while a Publishers Weekly critic called the book a "droll, snappy tale." With its short chapters and heavy dose of humor, Young Santa is geared toward middle-grade readers, a fact that many critics appreciated. "For kids too old to be true believers but young enough to still appreciate the myth, this is a funny sitcom take on an old friend," Roger Sutton wrote in his review for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

In Claws, Greenburg focuses on a slightly older protagonist in fourteen-year-old Cody. Passing for sixteen due to his height, and now working at a tiger ranch in Texas, the runaway teen is happy to have escaped from his abusive family in New York City; even Brutus, the farm's fearsome white tiger, is less frightening than Cody's violent mother. His safety is threatened, however, when his boss's brother goes missing and the farm becomes central to a missing persons investigation that quickly escalates into a high-profile murder case. "Cody is strong and resourceful, everything YAs would admire in a fictional hero," noted Claire Rosser in her Kliatt review, adding that the novel has a satisfying conclusion. Predicting that readers will "relish the gory, scary details" about caring for wild cats that the author includes, a Kirkus Reviews writer added that Claws imparts an important lesson about courage. In School Library Journal Coop Renner praised the novel's subplot about Cody's friendship with a shy young neighbor and deemed Claws a swiftly moving and sympathetic tale of a teen who wants to find a place for himself." In an interesting author's note, Greenburg explains that the novel is based on his own experiences working at a tiger ranch, a fact that Booklist reviewer Shelle Rosenfeld cited as accounting for the "abundant details about caring for tigers" included in the "fast-moving" novel.

In addition to writing, Greenburg visits schools, where he enjoys meeting his young fans and getting their reaction to his books. In an interview for the Harcourt Web site, he explained that he gets much of his inspiration from three main sources: "1) inspiration from adventures I've survived; 2) a funny title I think up first, like Dr. Jekyll, Orthodontist, or I'm out of My Body, Please Leave a Message; 3) asking myself 'What if?,' as in 'What if my hero accidentally swallowed disappearing ink and became invisible?'"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 1, 1991, Ilene Cooper, review of Young Santa, p. 313; January 1, 1997, Ilene Cooper, review of Great-Grandpa's in the Litter Box and Through the Medicine Cabinet, p. 859; February 15, 2006, Nancy Kim, review of Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days, p. 92; June 1, 2006, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Claws, p. 60.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November, 1991, Roger Sutton, review of Young Santa, p. 63; July-August, 2006, Loretta Gaffney, review of Claws, p. 498.

Children's Book Review Service, Spring Supplement, 1991, review of The Bed Who Ran away from Home, p. 135.

Five Owls, November, 1991, review of Young Santa, p. 45.

Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 1969, review of Jumbo the Boy and Arnold the Elephant, p. 169; July 15, 1991, review of Young Santa, p. 930; December 1, 2005, review of Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days, p. 1274; February 1, 2006, review of Dude, Where's My Spaceship?, p. 131; May 1, 2006, review of Claws, p. 459.

Kliatt, May, 2006, Claire Rosser, review of Claws, p. 9.

Library Journal, April 15, 1969, Susan T. Halbreich, review of Jumbo the Boy and Arnold the Elephant, p. 1768.

New York, December 23, 1991, review of Young Santa, p. 40.

New York Times Book Review, December 8, 1991, review of Young Santa, p. 26.

Publishers Weekly, July 12, 1991, review of Young Santa, p. 66; October 3, 2005, review of The Onts, p. 70; April 3, 2006, review of Dude, Where's My Spaceship?, p. 74.

School Library Journal, July, 1991, Ruth K. MacDonald, review of The Bed Who Ran away from Home, p. 56; October, 1991, Dorothy Houlihan, review of Young Santa, p. 30; February, 1997, Elaine E. Knight, reviews of A Ghost Named Wanda, Great-Grandpa's in the Litter Box, Through the Medicine Cabinet, and Zap! I'm a Mind Reader, p. 81; March, 1997, Molly S. Kinney, reviews of Dr. Jekyll, Orthodontist and I'm out of My Body … Please Leave a Message, p. 159; April, 2003, Elaine E. Knight, review of Tell a Lie and Your Butt Will Grow, p. 121; December, 2005, Elaine E. Knight, review of The Onts, p. 223; March, 2006, Quinby Frank, review of Dude, Where's My Spaceship?, p. 190; June, 2006, Walter Minkel, review of Treachery and Betrayal at Jolly Days, p. 156; July, 2006, Coop Renner, review of Claws, p. 227.