Tanzman, Carol M.

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Tanzman, Carol M.

PERSONAL: Female.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Lerner Publishing Group, 241 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55401-1607. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Educator, administrator, and writer. Works as an educational consultant; previously worked as theatrical director in regional and Off-Broadway theatres.

WRITINGS:

The Shadow Place (young adult novel), Roaring Brook Press (Brookfield, CT), 2002.

Contributor of articles to Web sites, including Smart-Writers.com.

SIDELIGHTS: Carol M. Tanzman's first book, The Shadow Place, is a young adult novel about young and troubled fourteen-year-old Rodney. Rodney's parents are no longer together, and he lives with a father who bullies him. To complicate his parental problems, his estranged mother essentially abandons him when she backs out of her promise to take over the parental duties, and moves to Saudi Arabia without Rodney instead. Rodney, who is also having problems at school and with friends, begins to have violent thoughts involving shooting and other acts of aggression. His best friend, Lissa, notices his growing strange behavior and comes to believe that he may be involved in a prank that has hurt several of his classmates. Rodney eventually decides to run away and steals one of his father's guns to take along. Lissa, whose friendship with Rodney has been tested, may be the only one able to track him down and prevent a catastrophe from happening. Kimberly L. Paone wrote in the School Library Journal that "the story unfolds through e-mail, chat-room dialogue, and narrative." Writing in Booklist, Michael Cart called The Shadow Place "suspenseful and fast-paced." Paula Rohrlick, writing in Kliatt, noted that young "readers will easily be able to relate to the relationship issues." ALAN Review contributor Lisa Scherff called the book "a true page turner."