November 23, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Secrets at Sea, the latest book by award-winning author and 1956 DePauw University graduate Richard Peck, is among the "Notable Children's Books of 2011" listed in the New York Times.
"This mouse adventure follows four siblings as they cruise to England, accompanying their husband-hunting human counterparts," notes the Times. " 'Rife with snappy asides and clever but never heavy-handed,' our reviewer wrote."
Access the list at the newspaper's website.
Peck has been called "America's best living author for young adults" and was the first children's book author to receive a National Humanities Medal. Are You In The House Alone? won the 1978 Edgar Allan Poe Award. He 
received the Newbery Gold Medal in 2001 for A Year Down Yonder. A Long Way From Chicago was a National Book Award finalist as was his Civil War novel, The River Between Us All told, Peck has authored 40 novels.
After winning the Newbery Medal, Peck told DePauw.edu that the University 
[Download Audio: "Peck on DePauw" 603KB]
"made a writer out of me. It warned me never to show my rough draft to
anybody. That helps. I write each of my books six times because I have
to, and it's the sixth version my editor sees and nothing before that. I
learned that from DePauw professors."