Author Spotlight

Catherine Matthias

My six early reader picture books came out of my experiences working in a preschool when I was in my early twenties. Later, I wrote an adult nonfiction book for parents (and teachers) working with children struggling to read. This came out of my work as a Certified Irlen Syndrome screener and my desire to see all children enjoy reading.

My latest book, When the Sky Turned to Dust, came from my curiosity about a certain period in America's past, and my desire to show children as capable in difficult circumstances. I've always understood why about a quarter of the Midwest's population (2.5 million) left during the Dust Bowl years, but I was curious about why anyone would stay. My research led me to "ownership." Many were tenant farmers, farming land owned by someone else. When crops failed due to drought, fire, and high winds, these farmers had no way to pay their rent. Also, those who did own their land, but still carried a mortgage or who borrowed from banks to buy machinery, often could not pay back what they borrowed. This led to foreclosures, bank failures, and population migration. I wrote it as middle grade historical fiction narrated by a twelve-year-old girl with a nine-year-old brother because I wanted to show the effects this kind of manmade and long term disaster had on children. I wanted to show how resilient children were so long as they had the support of family, community, and each other.

I recently finished a 12 book series of picture books starring Nick & Nack, the bunny brothers, and I've started a magical fantasy for younger YA readers. There are many reasons to read. For fun. For chills and thrills. For romance and intrigue. For information. Few pastimes can beat a quiet corner and a good book. There are wonderful bookstores and libraries waiting to help you find the right books for you.

I deeply appreciate that the US Review of Books puts the right books in the appropriate reviewers hands, and that their reviews are thorough, providing both a comprehensive synopsis and an in depth critique.

About the Author: Catherine Matthias is the author of four early reader fiction books, Out the Door, Over-Under, I Love Cats, and Too Many Balloons, and two nonfiction, I Can Be a Police Officer and I Can Be a Computer Operator published in English and Spanish by Children's Press, an imprint of Scholastic Books. Her nonfiction adult book, The Word Gobblers–a handbook for parents working with children struggling to read, was published by Square One Publishers in 2021. It is a natural extension of her work as an Irlen Syndrome Screener, her children's book writing, and her desire to see all children enjoy reading. She addresses the medically-based causes and traits of the condition and provides parents and teachers with tools to identify the problem and relieve the physical and emotional symptoms. Catherine lives in rural Joseph, Oregon, with her husband, Stewart Jones.