Dandi Books

Dandi

I think I’ve always wanted to be a writer, even before I could hold a pencil. My parents were great storytellers, so bringing characters to life seemed as natural as riding horses bareback, which I also grew up doing. I won my first writing contest as a 10-year-old tomboy. My 50 words on “Why I Want to Be Batboy for the Kansas City A’s” won first place, but the team wouldn’t let a girl be batboy. It was my first taste of rejection.

Since then, I’ve had over 400 of my titles published for children and about 25 for grown-ups, with millions of copies in over a dozen countries. I write for every age and in nearly every genre. I keep busy doing school visits, keynoting at conferences, and writing from rural Ohio, where I enjoy our family, including horses, dogs, cats, & a changing array of outdoor creatures.

New Books

The Silence of Murder

Knopf/Random House

Available Now

Dreams of a Dancing Horse

Bloomsbury

Oct. 2011

Listen to the Silent Night

Dutton/Penguin
Ill. Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher

Oct. 2011

My Boyfriends' Dogs

Dutton/Penguin

Available Now

Horse Series: Backyard Horses
Tyndale House

Available Now

Featured Books

Click on Book Title for more information

Larger-Than-Life Lara
Dutton/Penguin Books
Reading Level: Grades 4-8

A Book You'll Never Forget!

For anyone who’s ever wanted to write…

“Thoroughly enjoyable and unexpectedly wry, this book is as intelligent as it is succinct." Elizabeth Bird, NY Public Library, in School Library Journal

Study Guide Available Here

A Girl Named Dan
Sleeping Bear Press

Dandi's true story and lifelong dream

Study Guide Available Here

Dandi not only enters the contest--her essay wins! However, her joy is short-lived when the contest officials enforce the For Boys Only rule.

"Mackall seamlessly weaves a good deal of baseball trivia and slang into her tale...Dandi is an engaging and sympathetic heroine, and her story will resonate with many readers." - School Library Journal, June 2008

See more about this book on YouTube.

Rudy Rides the Rails:
A Depression Era Story
(Tales of Young America)
Sleeping Bear Press

Dandi met the real "Ramblin' Rudy" in 2000 and was inspired to capture his stories & sense of community and adventure, when Rudy "rode the rails" as a teen hobo during the Great Depression.

Study Guide Available Here

Crazy In Love
Dutton/Penguin

Mary Jane Ettermeyer hears voices in her head, but they're all hers-and she's going to need every single one of them to get through life, now that she's fallen hard for the amazing Jackson House, her girlfriend’s boyfriend.

"...Mackall hits the nail on the head with her poignant description of first love..." School Library Journal

EVA UNDERGROUND
Houghton/Harcourt

"Modern Communism is rarely depicted in children's literature, and never before this well." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Nominated ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Finalist for Ohioana Award,
New York Public Library "Teen Pick"

This story parallels the author's experiences before "The Wall" came down.

Study guide available at Harcourt Books

DANDILION RHYMES
WaterBrook/Random House

A GAGGLE OF GEESE AND A CLUTTER OF CATS

illustrated by David Hohn

In fun, rollicking rhyme, discover the names of animal groups, from tidings of magpies, ducks in a brace, elks in a gang, in a galloping race!

Horse Books

For those who love horses….

click on book title for more information on the series

Winnie The Horse Gentler Series
Starlight Animal Rescue Series
Horsefeathers Series

Backyard Horses Series

Bob the Horse Series

Dandi is represented by Anna J. Webman of Curtis Brown Inc., NY, NY.