Cruise, Robin 1951-

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Cruise, Robin 1951-

PERSONAL:

Born June 1, 1951 in Washington, DC; daughter of Robert Aloysius and Jessina Maria Cruise; married Richard S. Bayer (an attorney; divorced); children: Andrew, Henry, Hannah. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, writing, movies, long walks, spending time with family and friends, music, cooking, yoga.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—San Diego, CA. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Author and editor. Rocky Mountain News, Denver, CO, former assistant editor and reporter; Harcourt, San Diego, CA, deputy publisher.

WRITINGS:

The Top-Secret Journal of Fiona Claire Jardin, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Fiona's Private Pages, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2000.

The Five Senses, Wright Group (DeSoto, TX), 2000.

Match Point, Artesian Press (Buena Park, CA), 2000.

The Nuclear Disaster at Chernobyl, Artesian Press (Buena Park, CA), 2000.

The Spooky Swamp Sound, Wright Group (DeSoto, TX), 2001.

Zoom!, Wright Group (DeSoto, TX), 2001.

(With Theresa Smythe) Rainy Day Pals, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 2002.

(With Theresa Smythe) How a Book Gets Published, Celebration Press (Parsippany, NJ), 2004.

Little Mamá Forgets, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY), 2006.

Only You, illustrated by Margaret Chodos-Irvine, Harcourt (Orlando, FL), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including People, Travel & Leisure, and Allure.

SIDELIGHTS:

Robin Cruise has written a variety of books for young people, among them nonfiction, picture books, and several novels for young adults. Her young-adult novel The Top-Secret Journal of Fiona Claire Jardin follows the title character as she experiences the pressures of being a typical teen and also deals with her parents' divorce. Written in the first person, the book excerpts portions of the fictional Fiona's diary, allowing teen readers to fully empathize with the likable narrator. Helen T. Rosenberg, reviewing The Top-Secret Journal of Fiona Claire Jardin for Booklist, commented that Cruise's main character has a "voice [that] is at once lively, funny, and poignant." Fiona's saga continues in Fiona's Private Pages, which follows Fiona's life in the wake of her parents' divorce. Now Fiona and her brother are shuttled back and forth between each parent's new home, with the result that their friends become increasingly important. Linda L. Plevak remarked in her School Library Journal review of Fiona's Private Pages that Cruise, "like Judy Blume, … tackles serious issues but provides many opportunities for laughter." Booklist contributor Susan Dove Lempke also praised the novel, noting that Cruise's "writing style is energetic and highly believable."

As she does in her teen novels, Cruise touches on real-life topics in her books for younger children. Praised as a "tender, heartfelt story" by School Library Journal contributor Catherine Callegari, Little Mamá Forgets describes the relationship a little girl named Lucy has with her grandmother now that the elderly woman suffers from Alzheimer's. The story is told from the point-of-view of Lucy as she shares time with her grandmother, Little Mamá. While Little Mamá will sometimes forget to tie her shoes and shows other lapses in memory, she never forgets to show her love to her granddaughter. Cruise also gives her poignant story a bilingual element by incorporating Spanish phrases throughout her text.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 1998, Helen Rosenberg, review of The Top-Secret Journal of Fiona Claire Jardin, p. 1444; May 15, 2000, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Fiona's Private Pages, p. 1744; January 1, 2006, Ilene Cooper, review of Little Mamá Forgets, p. 92.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2006, review of Little Mamá Forgets, p. 228.

Publishers Weekly, April 6, 1998, review of The Top-Secret Journal of Fiona Claire Jardin, p. 79; May 15, 2006, review of Little Mamá Forgets, p. 72.

Reading Teacher, March, 1999, review of The Top-Secret Journal of Fiona Claire Jardin, p. 627; February, 2001, review of Fiona's Private Pages, p. 542; April, 2001, Lynne T. Burke, review of Fiona's Private Pages, p. 32.

School Library Journal, April, 1998, Robin L. Gibson, review of The Top-Secret Journal of Fiona Claire Jardin, p. 128; June, 2000, review of Fiona's Private Pages, p. 142; August, 2006, Linda L. Plevak, review of Little Mamá Forgets, p. 78.