Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun, a Newbery Honor Book that also received the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award and the Golden Kite Award, is about the opening of Japan (1853-1854). The Amazing Adventure of Lewis and Clark, The Great American Gold Rush, and The Extraordinary Voyages of Captain Cook, all ALA Notable Books, are among her outstanding histories. Rhoda Blumberg states that while researching for Commodore Perry, she read about Manjiro's ordeals and bizarre adventures, then spent years rehearsing his life story in her head until she felt compelled to write about him.The author and her husband, Gerald, live in Yorktown Heights, New York.