Korman believes in staying in touch with his fans. He travels extensively each year, visiting schools, libraries, and conferences, bringing his trademark humor and adventurous style to readers everywhere. What is the secret of his success? "It's a combination between real life and pure imagination," he says. "I always start off with something real, but then I unleash my imagination to make it more exciting, funnier, or a better story. To be honest, by the time a book is done, you can't recognize much of the real-life part. But I never could have gotten there without it."

The author of the bestselling survival trilogies Dive, Island, Everest, Kidnapped, and Titanic, Gordon Korman has also written funny stand-alone school stories and the Swindle series. He is the author of five books in the 39 Clues series, including Vespers Rising and Flashpoint.