Sharron L. McElmeel is a renowned author and educational consultant, and an Instructor of Children's and Young Adult Literature at University of Wisconsin-Stout. A literacy consultant and columnist, she was named Iowa Reading Teacher of the Year in 1987, and in 2003 she received the Iowa Reading Association's State Literacy Award in recognition of her lifelong efforts to build literacy and literature appreciation in the community.Deborah L. McElmeel earned a graduate degree in science from the University of Iowa and after teaching for several years in the Chicago Public School system, she now teaches chemistry at Stoughton High School, Stoughton, Wisconsin.