Hobart and William Smith Colleges

12 October 2010 Atkinson Eames '83 Pens Second Book

Elizabeth Atkinson Eames 83 has written her second middle reader for kids ages 8 to 12, I, Emma Freke. It was published by Carol Rhoda, a division of Lerners Publishing group. Her first book, From Alice to Zen and Everyone in Between (2008) has been included in the Bank Street College of Educations Best Childrens Books of 2009.

An article in Wicked Local (news from the Harvard Post) describes I, Emma Freke: Whats in a name? I, Emma Freke is a charming search-for identity story about Emma the only normal member of her quirky family. Her flighty, New Age mom seems to barely have time for a daughter, especially one who annoyingly spoils her moms youthful faade. Emmas well-meaning grandpa is clueless. And her only friends are the local librarian and a precocious 10 year old adopted by the two older ladies next door.

Smart, shy, and nearly six feet tall, Emma struggles to fit in at school, so she jumps at the opportunity to home school until that too turns into another of moms half-baked ideas.

The real crisis comes when she gets an invitation to the Freke family reunion, and her fellow Frekes arent at all what she expects. While Emma desperately tries to find her niche, she discovers that perhaps its better to be her own freak than someone elses Freke.

Atkinson Eames earned a bachelor of arts in anthropology cum laude from William Smith College. She earned her masters of arts degree in liberal studies (with a concentration in creative writing) from Dartmouth College.

More information about the book is available online: elizabethatkinson.com.