Bio

Melvin Berger was born in 1927 and grew up during the Great Depression. While his parents struggled to keep food on the table, they encouraged their son to develop his talents with whatever resources were available, and young Melvin found escape from daily troubles in playing music and reading all the books in the local library. In college he studied electrical engineering as well as music, and afterwards played viola professionally before getting a Master's degree in music education. His first book for children, Science and Music, combined his interests perfectly, and set the stage for a long career writing fascinating nonfiction for young people.

In 1957, Melvin Berger married Gilda Shulman (now Gilda Berger), also a noted author of children's nonfiction. The two have collaborated on many books, including the ongoing Scholastic Question-and-Answer series. Writing has enabled Berger to answer many of his own questions, as well; he enjoys research and finds that working on one book almost inevitably raises enough issues to lead to another. The Bergers have two daughters and live near the beach in East Hampton, New York.