Norma Charles was born in Manitoba, Canada but as a young child, she moved with her family to BC where she attended school. After graduating from UBC, she taught school for several years then retired to have a family of four children. It was then that she began writing. Her first book was best-selling picturebook, See you Later, Alligator. It was followed by another picturebook, then several novels. When Norma's youngest child entered school, she went back to teaching, becoming a teacer/librarian, a position which she held for many years in Vancouver until she retired (again) in order to write full time. Her 18th book was released in Sept. 2011. Run Marco Run is a riviting adventure about a boy who sees his father being kidnapped in Colombia and he stowaways on a freighter to Vancouver where he hopes to get help.