Lauri Berkenkamp is the author of six books for kids. Writing under the pen name Maxine Anderson she has written Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself, which was excerpted in the New York Times Book Review and Christian Science Monitor, chosen as the #7 BookSense Children's Pick for Summer 2006 and named Book of the Year by the Society for School Librarians International in 2006; Great Civil War Projects You Can Build Yourself, which was excerpted in Boys' Life magazine and called "a fascinating gem of a book" by the New York Times Book Review; Explore Spring, and Explore Winter, which were chosen as Parents' Choice Recommended Books for 2007, Discover the Amazon, as well as Discover the Oceans.