Author
The Nine Lives
of Romeo Crumb
Life Three
L. RifkinSecure Transaction
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Price: $16.95 USHardcover | ISBN: 0-9743221-2-1
CAT NIP FOR BOOKSELLERS and CLAWING FOR BOOKSALES in Los AngelesFrom left to right
Ben Lehrer: Pres. of Kitten Rescue
Sean Roderick: Dutton's Bookseller
Lauren Rifkin: Author
Cat: A Romeo Crumb wannabe
Kurt Hartman: Illustrator
Photo Credit: Carolyn Deming
Giving birth to the third life of Romeo Crumb in a series of nine books published by Stratford Road Press, Ltd., author and L.A. public school teacher Lauren Rifkin and her illustrator/husband Kurt Hartman teamed up with Ben Lehrer of Kitten Rescue, a no-kill animal shelter in Los Angeles, along with Dutton's bookseller Sean Roderick, in the cheerful, cat-friendly court yard of Dutton's Brentwood this past Saturday. Combining a booksigning and reading about a feisty cat with the real things purring in the background had the place crawling with kids celebrating the newest addition to THE NINE LIVES OF ROMEO CRUMB Independent Reader/YA series which School Library Journal calls "fast-paced and suspenseful".
Awakening scared and confused from his second death, Romeo finds himself in the deepest, most forbidden place there is, Vent City. Falling into immediate peril, a stranger plucks him to safety only to reveal himself as a long, lost relative. After reluctantly meeting the gruesome Vent City mutants and hearing their heart-wrenching story, they band together to finally get their just revenge from the viscous Alleys who have taken control of the Factory. But a crushing illness threatens to end it all for Romeo, ultimately taking him away from his beloved Dennis forever. Will Romeo’s third life be spared in time to face Fidel and bring the Factory back to its rightful owners? Or will the alleys win again?
Upon entering the shadowy and clandestine world of felines, L. Rifkin made a remarkable discovery, that cats do have nine lives. As a teacher for almost ten years, Rifkin observed the countless books her students read, and it was their natural curiosity about the secret communication between animals that finally inspired her to write “The Nine Lives of Romeo Crumb”. Setting out to test how the dark tone of “Life One” would be accepted, she read it out loud to a class of fifth graders under the guise of an unknown author. When they chose to miss recess time and again in order to hear more, and told other friends about the cool book their teacher was reading to them, Rifkin knew it was time for “Romeo” to make his entrance into the world. Thus she created her remarkable nine book series, each book ending in one of Romeo’s deaths until all his nine lives were gone.
L. Rifkin currently teaches kindergarten in Los Angeles, California. She and her husband, artist/illustrator Kurt Hartman, share a home with their infant son Henry and four rambunctious cats.
