Tom Birdseye grew up in North Carolina and Kentucky, an ardent fan of anything that smacked of sports, crawdads, mud balls, forts built in the woods, secret codes, bicycles without fenders, butter pecan ice cream, and snow. He was, however, decidedly uninterested in writing-or any academic aspect of school, for that matter-never imagining that at the age of thirty-five he would become a published author. He is the author of well-received children's books such as Attack of the Mutant Underwear, a Georgia Children's Book Award finalist, and A Tough Nut to Crack. He lives in Corvallis, Oregon, with his wife, Debbie and two daughters, Kelsey and Amy. When not writing or in classrooms talking with children and teachers about the writing process, he enjoys skiing, rock and mountain climbing, ski mountaineering, backpacking, mountain biking, kayaking, running, playing the string bass, and reading.