Lenni is a gifted healer; she is also an illegal experiment gone wrong. Set in the future where genetic engineering is forbidden, Lenni must escape from the Genetic Purity Council.

Karen Krossing grew up in Thornhill, Ontario, with a family who loved to read. What could she do but read, too? Karen began to create stories when she was eight, and she continued this habit by writing poetry in high school. By then she was hooked on books, so she studied English at university then became a book editor and a technical writer. After Karen had kids, she began writing fiction for children and teens.

Karen uses writing to understand the world around her. In Take The Stairs, which was nominated for the Ontario Library Association White Pine Award, she writes about turning adversity into opportunity through the troubled lives of inner-city teens. In Pure, her latest novel, she explores sticky ethical questions about genetic engineering that today's teens will have to face in their lifetimes.

Karen is a writing instructor at Centennial College and she teaches an after-school writing program for kids and teens through Pegasus Studios in Toronto. She led workshops at the 2003 Canadian Children's Book Camp in Toronto and was on tour with TD Canadian Children's Book Week in 2005. Karen regularly conducts writing workshops and book talks at Canadian schools.

For a detailed interview with Karen, go to http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/profiles/krossing.html. For contact information, please visit http://www.canscaip.org/bios/krossingk.html.

Karen Krossing's profile page

Explores timely questions about the possibilities for good and for evil of genetic engineering.

City Parent

An engaging and fast-paced read that draws you into a futuristic world…satisfying for adults and teens alike.

Monday Magazine (Victoria)

The book’s ending leaves readers with lots to ponder over.

The Manitoba Middle Years Association Journal

Simply written, Pure is interesting enough to recommend to reluctant readers.

School Library Journal

Pure raises themes that deserve attention and tackles some important emerging issues.

CM Magazine

A fascinating and thought-provoking novel that will not easily be forgotten.

Canadian Children's Book News