| is a family from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, that writes and
illustrates books about Jimmy Gimmy, mental marvel and heir to the Gimmy Gum Company. They
also make actual Gimmy Gum in cooperation with McIntyre's Candies of Altoona,
Pennsylvania. EMMETT ELDRED sleeps in
the northeast bedroom and is in Grade 6.
He enjoys video games, baseball and irritating Ethan.
ETHAN ELDRED sleeps in the southeast bedroom
and is in Grade 8.
He enjoys video games, baseball, soccer and irritating Emmett.
KEITH ELDRED sleeps on the right side of the
bed. During college, he worked as a laborer and writing tutor. Since then, he has worked
as a bookseller, publisher's sales representative, portrait artist, illustrator,
advertising copywriter, graphic designer, and art director, and a copywriting and
promotions manager. He is now a software trainer and website administrator. He enjoys
swimming and listening to audio books. He regrets frequently irritating Janet.
JANET ELDRED is the exclamation point in
Team EEK!. She graduated with honors from both Penn State University and Pittsburgh
University and works as a library director. She enjoys reading and researching genealogy.
The original Jimmy Gimmy story grew from
Keith's prompting and drafting, but was shaped by ideas and responses from the entire
family. One of Janet's vital contributions was insisting on a larger role for Jimmy's
mother. The boys' involvement was crucial. If they laughed at something, it stayed in. If
they were eager to know what happened next, there was sufficient suspense. If they were
confused, the section needed to be clarified. To finish polishing the text, Emmett, Ethan
and Keith recorded the entire book on audio tape (it took over six hours total), and the
boys ad-libbed some of the best lines in the final manuscript. They also uncovered a
logical flaw in the plot that took Keith three days to rework. The illustrations are
collaborations based on Keith's sketches; the final artwork merges drawing from both boys
with polishing by Keith.
The whole Team lives in a yellow house in Hollidaysburg,
Pennsylvania. Their dog, Muffy, has a cameo in their first novel.
The first novel by Team EEK! is Jimmy Gimmy and Raid
on Burkey Run.
Click here to read about it
The second novel by Team EEK! is Jimmy Gimmy and the
Tornado Maker.
Click here to read about it
Click here to read about Gimmy Gum
Click here to visit
McIntyre's Candies on the web
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