Peter Duncan LerangisPeter Then and Now from PeterLerangis.com
/ref> (born 1955, in Brooklyn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

) is an American author of children's and young adult fiction, best known for his '' Seven Wonders'' series and his work on the ''

39 Clues ''The 39 Clues'' is a series of adventure novels written by a collaboration of authors, including Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, Jude Watson, Patrick Carman, Linda Sue Park, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Roland Smith, David Baldacci, J ...

'' series.

Life and career

Lerangis's work includes the '' Seven Wonders'' series, all five books of which made The New York Times Best Seller list for Children's Books. He was also the author of ''

The Viper's Nest ''The Viper's Nest'' is the seventh book in The 39 Clues series. It was written by Peter Lerangis and was released by Scholastic on February 2, 2010. The 39 Clues series is intended for children aged 8–12, and takes the form of a multimedia ad ...

'' and ''

The Sword Thief ''The Sword Thief'' is the third book in '' The 39 Clues'' series. It was written by Peter Lerangis and was published by Scholastic on March 3, 2009.

'', two titles in the ''New York Times''-bestselling children's-book series '' The 39 Clues'', along with the second entry in a four-novella collection, ''

Vespers Rising ''Vespers Rising'' is a part of ''The 39 Clues'' franchise, which includes the 39 Clues books, card packs, and interactive online games. The book is a transition between the first series, ''The 39 Clues'', and the second, '' Cahills vs. Vespers'' ...

''. This book served as an introduction to a six-book ''39 Clues'' sequel entitled ''Cahills Vs. Vespers'',"Announcement of sequel to The 39 Clues"
/ref> for which he wrote the third book, '' The Dead of the Night''. His other books include the historical novel '' Smiler's Bones'', the YA novel ''Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am'' (with

Harry Mazer Harry Mazer (May 31, 1925 in New York City – April 7, 2016 in Montpelier, Vermont) was an American writer of books for children and young adults, acclaimed for his "realistic" novels. He has written twenty-two novels, including ''The Solid Go ...

), the YA dark comedy-adventure novel ''wtf,'' the ''Drama Club'' series, the '' Spy X'' series, the ''Watchers'' series, the ''Abracadabra'' series, and the ''Antarctica'' two-book adventure, as well ghost-writing for series such as the '' Three Investigators'', the '' Hardy Boys Casefiles'', ''

Sweet Valley Twins ''Sweet Valley Twins'' (also known as ''Sweet Valley Twins and Friends'') was the first spin-off to originate from ''Sweet Valley High'', and was created by Francine Pascal and written by Jamie Suzanne. Published by Bantam Books on 1 July 1986, ...

'', and more than forty books in the series '' The Baby-sitters Club'' and its various spin-offs. He has also written novels based on film screenplays, including '' The Sixth Sense'', '' Sleepy Hollow'', and '' Beauty and the Beast'', and five video game novelizations in the

Worlds of Power The ''Worlds of Power'' books are a series of novelizations of video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System released in the early 1990s by Scholastic."8-Bit Lit: Behind the Worlds of Power. ''1up.com''1. Retrieved on November 23, 2008. Th ...

series created by

Seth Godin Seth W. Godin is an American author and former dot com business executive. Background After leaving Spinnaker in 1986, he used $20,000 in savings to found Seth Godin Productions, primarily a book packaging business, out of a studio apartment in ...

. As a ghostwriter he has been published under the name A. L. Singer. Lerangis is the son of a retired New York Telephone Company employee and a retired public-elementary-school secretary, who raised him in

Freeport Freeport, a variant of free port, may refer to: Places United States *Freeport, California *Freeport, Florida *Freeport, Illinois *Freeport, Indiana *Freeport, Iowa *Freeport, Kansas *Freeport, Maine, a New England town **Freeport (CDP), Maine, the ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, while acting in musicals"Divine Decadence and Dollars"
Klein, Julia M.. ''The Harvard Crimson'', 1976-05-13 and singing with and musically directing the ''

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

'' group the

Harvard Krokodiloes The Harvard Krokodiloes ("The Kroks") are Harvard University's oldest '' a cappella'' singing group, founded in 1946. The group consists of twelve tuxedo-clad undergraduates, and they sing songs from the Great American Songbook and beyond. The ...

."Perfect Tone, in a Key That’s Mostly Minor."
Rapkin, Mickey. '' The New York Times'', 2008-03-23, Sunday Styles section, p. 1.Notable Alumni of the Harvard Krokodiloes
/ref> Peter was said to have been classmates with Bill Gates in college before he dropped out and founded the company Microsoft. Upon graduation, Peter moved to New York where he worked as an actor"The Uncertain Joys of A Young Actor's Life."
Colt, George Howe. '' The New York Times'', 1980-12-21, Arts and Leisure section, p. 1. and

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

copy editor for eight years before becoming an author.Peter Lerangis at Scholastic.com
. Retrieved on 2007-12-18. In 2003, Lerangis was chosen by First Lady

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

to accompany her to the first Russian Book Festival, hosted by Russian First Lady

Lyudmila Putina Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Ocheretnaya (russian: Людмила Александровна Очеретная, formerly Putina, Путина, , Shkrebneva, Шкребнева; born 6 January 1958) is the former wife of Vladimir Putin (the curren ...

in Moscow.Loven, Jennifer. "Laura Bush hopes to counter resentment of U.S. on trip to France, Russia." ''

St. Louis Post-Dispatch The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' is a major regional newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is the largest daily newspaper in the metropolitan area by circulation, surpassing the ''Belleville News-Dem ...

'', 2003-09-27, p. 5.Website of First Lady Laura Bush.
/ref> Authors R. L. Stine ('' Goosebumps'') and Marc Brown (the ''Arthur the Aardvark'' series) also made the trip with Bush. Also in 2003, Lerangis was commissioned by the United Kingdom branch of

Scholastic Scholastic may refer to: * a philosopher or theologian in the tradition of scholasticism * ''Scholastic'' (Notre Dame publication) * Scholastic Corporation, an American publishing company of educational materials * Scholastic Building, in New Y ...

to write ''X-Isle'', one of four books that would relaunch the ''

Point Horror ''Point Horror'' is a series of young adult horror fiction books. The series was most popular among teenaged girls.Coles, Martin. Hall, Christine. ''Children's Reading Choices''. Routledge, 1998, p 46. History The ''Point Horror'' series was laun ...

'' series there."New life for teen horror stories." The Bookseller, 2003-07-18, p. 28. A sequel, ''Return to X-Isle'', was published in 2004. In 2007, Scholastic announced the launch of a new historical mystery series called ''The 39 Clues'', intended to become a franchise."Scholastic plans to put its branding iron on a successor to Harry Potter."
Rich, Motoko. '' The New York Times'', 2007-12-18, p. E1. Lerangis wrote the third book in the series, ''The Sword Thief'', published in March 2009.Amazon.com page confirming book title of third ''39 Clues'' book.
/ref>Scholastic Press Release (March 3, 2009). "Worldwide Hunt for 'The 39 Clues' Continues Today with Release of 'Book 3:The Sword Thief,' More Clues Revealed, and Multi-City Author Tour (http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Scholastic-NASDAQ-SCHL-956445.html)Scholastic Inc. FAQ sheet regarding ''The 39 Clues''.
/ref> On March 3, 2009, Scholastic announced that Lerangis would write the seventh book in the series, ''The Viper's Nest''. In 2016, Lerangis traveled to

Patan Patan may refer to several places in Afghanistan, India and Nepal: Afghanistan *Patan, Afghanistan India * Patan district, in the state of Gujarat * Patan, Gujarat, the main city of the eponymous district * Patan was the ancient capital of Gujara ...

Dhoka, Nepal where he was the guest speaker at Bal Sahitya Mahotsav, the first children's

literature festival A literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writers and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings ...

in Nepal. Lerangis lives in New York City with his wife, musician Tina deVaron. He has two grown children, Nick and Joe.Peter Lerangis at SFBookcase.com
Retrieved on 2007-12-18.

Bibliography

''Throwback'' series

# ''Throwback'' (October 1, 2019) # ''The Chaos Loop'' (May 5, 2020) # ''Out of Time'' (March 23, 2021)

''Max Tilt'' series

# ''Fire the Depths'' (October 3, 2017) # ''80 Days or Die'' (July 24, 2018) # ''Enter the Core'' (February 19, 2019)

'' Seven Wonders'' series

# ''The Colossus Rises'' (February 5, 2013) # ''Lost in Babylon'' (October 29, 2013) # ''The Tomb of Shadows'' (May 13, 2014) # ''The Curse of the King'' (March 3, 2015) # ''The Legend of the Rift'' (March 8, 2016) Seven Wonders (series) Journals # ''The Select and The Orphan'' (April 22, 2014) # ''The Key'' (February 10, 2015) # ''The Promise'' (February 9, 2016)

''The 39 Clues'' series

# ''

The Sword Thief ''The Sword Thief'' is the third book in '' The 39 Clues'' series. It was written by Peter Lerangis and was published by Scholastic on March 3, 2009.

'' (March 3, 2009) # ''

'' (February 2, 2010) # ''

'' (April 5, 2011)

''The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers'' series

* ''The Dead of Night'' (March 6, 2012)

''Drama Club'' series

# ''The Fall Musical'' (September 6, 2007) # ''The Big Production'' (September 6, 2007) # ''Too Hot!'' (March 13, 2008) # ''Summer Stars'' (July 17, 2008)

''Spy X'' series

# ''The Code'' (July 1, 2004 - Scholastic) # ''Hide and Seek'' (October 1, 2004 - Scholastic) # ''Proof Positive'' (January 1, 2005 - Scholastic) # ''Tunnel Vision'' (May 1, 2005 - Scholastic)

''Abracadabra'' series (with Jim Talbot)

# ''Poof! Rabbits Everywhere'' (April 1, 2002) # ''Boo! Ghosts in School'' (April 1, 2002) # ''Presto! Magic Treasure'' (July 2002) # ''Yeeps!: Secrets in the Statue'' (October 1, 2002) # ''Zap! Science Fair Surprise!'' (January 2003) # ''Yikes! It's Alive!'' (April 2003) # ''Whoa! Amusement Park Gone Wild!'' (July 1, 2003) # ''Wow! Blast from the Past!'' (October 2003)

''Antarctica'' series

# ''Journey to the Pole'' (2000, eBook reissue March 20, 2012) # ''Escape from Disaster'' (2000, eBook reissue March 20, 2012)

''Watchers'' series

# ''Last Stop'' (November 1, 1998, eBook reissue March 20, 2012 ) # ''Rewind'' (November 1, 1998, eBook reissue March 20, 2012) # ''I.D.'' (January 1, 1999, eBook reissue March 20, 2012) # ''War'' (April 1999, eBook reissue March 20, 2012) # ''Island'' (July 1, 1999, eBook reissue March 20, 2012) # ''Lab 6'' (October 1, 1999, eBook reissue March 20, 2012)

Others

* ''License to Drive'' (novelization) (1988), writing as A. L. Singer * ''Sing'' (novelization) (1989), A. L. Singer (/) * ''Little Monsters'' (novelization) (1989), writing as A. L. Singer * ''Dick Tracy'' (junior novelization) (1990), writing as A. L. Singer () * ''Walt Disney's Classic: The Rescuers Down Under'' (novelization) (1990), writing as A. L. Singer () * ''Bingo'' (novelization) (1991), writing as A. L. Singer * Disney's ''Robin Hood'' (novelization) (1992), writing as A. L. Singer () * Disney's ''Beauty and the Beast'' (novelization) (1992), writing as A. L. Singer () * Disney's ''Aladdin'' (novelization) (1992), writing as A. L. Singer () * ''Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (novelization) (November 1, 1992), writing as A. L. Singer * Walt Disney's ''Sleeping Beauty'' (novelization) (1993), writing as A. L. Singer (/) * ''Surf Ninjas'' (novelization) (1993), writing as A. L. Singer * ''Miracle on 34th Street'' (novelization) (1994), writing as A. L. Singer * ''The Swan Princess'' (novelization) (1994), writing as A. L. Singer * ''The Amazing Panda Adventure'' (novelization) (1995), writing as A. L. Singer * ''The Baby-Sitters Club'' (novelization) (1995), writing as A. L. Singer * ''Sleepy Hollow'' (novelization) (1999) (/ * M. Night Shyamalan's ''The Sixth Sense: A Novelization'' (2000) (/) * ''The Road to El Dorado'' (novelization) (2000) (/) * ''Smiler's Bones'' (February 1, 2005) * '' Batman Begins: The Junior Novel'' (June 2005) (/) * ''wtf'' (November 10, 2009) * ''Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am'' (February 7, 2012), with Harry Mazer

Awards

* ''Last Stop'', the first book in Lerangis's science fiction/mystery series ''Watchers'', was selected by the American Library Association as a 1999 Best Book for Reluctant Readers. * ''War'', the fourth book in the series ''Watchers'', was selected by the International Reading Association and the Children's Book Council as a 2000 Children's Choice book.2000 Children's Choice Books
. Retrieved on 2008-02-03. * Lerangis's 2006 historical novel ''Smiler's Bones'' was a Junior Library Guild selection and was named among the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

Best Books for Teens 20062006 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
Retrieved on 2008-02-03. and the Bank Street Best Books of 2006. * ''Somebody Please Tell Me Who I Am'' was awarded the 2013 Schneider Family Book Award from the American Library Association, given to "honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences" 2013 ALA Schneider Family Award
/ref> and was also chosen that year for the ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults list.2013 ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults
/ref> * The ''Seven Wonders'' series books have been named Junior Library Guild selections

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lerangis, Peter 1955 births American children's writers The Baby-Sitters Club Harvard University alumni Writers from Brooklyn American male novelists People from Freeport, New York Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state)