The Summer Gang

Cornelia Funke was born in 1958 in the town of Dorsten in Westphalia, Germany. As a child, she wanted to become an astronaut and/or a pilot, but then decided to study pedagogy at the University of Hamburg. After finishing her studies, Funke worked for three years as a social worker. During her social work she focused on working with children who came from deprived backgrounds. She had a stint illustrating books, but during the late 1980s and the 1990s, Funke established herself in Germany with two children's series, namely the fantasy-oriented Gespensterjäger (Ghosthunters) and the Wilde Hühner (Wild Chicks) line of books. Funke has been called "the J. K. Rowling" of Germany; although she was highly successful in Germany, the first of her books to be translated into English was Herr der Diebe in 2002. It was subsequently released as The Thief Lord by Scholastic and made it to the number 2 spot on The New York Times Best Seller list. Cornelia Funke was voted into the Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of 2005. In 2006, Funke was awarded the Sakura Medal by the International Students of Japan in the Chapter Book category for her successful book, Dragon Rider. She lives in Los Angeles with her two children and has a website at corneliafunkfans.com.de

Caroline Goodall was born in London, England to a journalist mother and a publisher father.[1] She graduated with a BA in Drama and English from Bristol University in 1981, alongside fellow screenwriter Jeremy Brock.[2] Caroline appeared extensively on stage, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company and then the National Theatre, before being chosen by Steven Spielberg to star in Hook in 1991. Since then she has worked on film and TV projects in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia. She was nominated for Best Actress by the Australian Film Institute in 1990 for Cassidy, and in 1995 for Hotel Sorrento. She was nominated for a Logie award for Best Actress for A Difficult Woman in 1998, which also won best TV mini series at the New York Festival in 1998.