Taschek, Karen 1956–

(Karen Bentley)

PERSONAL:

Born March 12, 1956, in Columbia, MO; daughter of Robert (a botanist) and Barbara (an English professor) McDermott; married (marriage ended); married John Taschek (an environmental consultant), December 19, 1997; children: (first marriage) David Bentley. Education: Franklin & Marshall College, B.A., 1978. Hobbies and other interests: Horseback riding and training, hiking, rafting.

ADDRESSES:

Home— Corvales, NM. E-mail— [email protected].

CAREER:

Writer. Scientific American, New York, NY, former editorial assistant; Random House Children's Books, New York, NY, former copy chief; University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, editor; copyeditor for Alloy Entertainment.

WRITINGS:

(Under name Karen Bentley)The Unsers, Chelsea House Publishers (New York, NY), 1996, new edition, with Jeff Gluck, 2006.

Horse of Seven Moons, illustrated by Mina Yamashita, University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 2005.

Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, and a Quasar-Spangled Universe: The Discoveries of the Very Large Array Telescope, University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 2006.

The Real Story of Bats: Vampires, Movie Stars, and in Your Belfry, University of New Mexico Press (Albuquerque, NM), 2008.

SIDELIGHTS:

Karen Taschek told CA: "I've always wanted to be a children's book writer, mostly because I enjoyed reading so much as a child. I grew up in the golden age of children's books, the 1960s, when editor Ursula Nordstrom at Harper acquired E.B. White (the author of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little), Louise Fitzhugh (author of Harriet the Spy and The Long Secret), and Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are). As a kid, I would pick up a book, read a sentence or two, and then spin off my own stories, sometimes for hours.

"I moved to New York City after college to find a job in the publishing field and became an editorial assistant at Scientific American magazine. There perfection was the order of the day, and I learned splendid science editing and writing skills. Later, as copy chief at Random House Children's Books, I crossed paths with Random House author Dr. Seuss at the end of his career.

"I now write horse books and science books for children. The University of New Mexico Press plans to publish a new science series for children aged nine to fourteen, starting with my book The Real Story of Bats: Vampires, Movie Stars, and in Your Belfry, and including titles on cell phones, horses, and dinosaurs."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2006, Jennifer Mattson, review of Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, and a Quasar-Spangled Universe: The Discoveries of the Very Large Array Telescope, p. 79.

Kliatt, September, 2005, Edna Boardman, review of Horse of Seven Moons, p. 24.

School Library Journal, May, 2006, Patricia Manning, review of The Unsers, p. 142; July, 2006, Linda Wadleigh, review of Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, and a Quasar-Spangled Universe, p. 124.

Science Books and Film, September-October, 2006, Bradley W. Carroll, review of Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, and a Quasar-Spangled Universe, p. 213.

Voice of Youth Advocates, April, 2007, Amy Sisson, review of Death Stars, Weird Galaxies, and a Quasar-Spangled Universe, p. 82.

ONLINE

University of New Mexico Press Web site,http://www.unmpress.com/ (December 10, 2007).