Born in New York on February 15, 1967, Sitomer earned a B.A. degree from the University of Southern California, a teaching certificate from San Diego State University, and a master's degree from National University (California). He has taught English, Creative Writing, Speech & Debate and AVID classes at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, Los Angeles County, California and was named California's 2007 teacher of the year by the California Department of Education.[2]
When asked about how he brings a book to life, he answered, " I show all of my books to real kids first. My students, former students, fans I have gotten to know from around the country, they all get to check out my books hot off the press before anyone else gets a chance to see them. That means before my literary agent. That means before my editor. That means before anyone in the adult world who works in “the publishing industry”. Real kids are my readers and if they don’t like something – if they don’t laugh, if they don’t cry, if they don’t approve – then it doesn’t really matter what the adults think. I write for them!" When asked of where he got his ideas for his books, he said, "My ideas come from funny things that happen to me... and they come from the painful parts of life... you can't have one without the other."[3]
In addition to being a former inner-city high school English teacher and professor in the Graduate School of Education at Loyola Marymount University, Mr. Sitomer is a nationally renowned speaker specializing in engaging reluctant readers who received the 2004 award for Classroom Excellence from the Southern California Teachers of English and the 2003 Teacher of the Year honor from California Literacy. In April 2007, Alan was named Educator of the Year by Loyola Marymount University and in February 2008 The Insight Education Group named Alan Lawrence Sitomer the Innovative Educator of the Year.
Mr. Sitomer has also authored multiple young adult novels published by Disney and Penguin Putnam which include The Hoopster, Hip-Hop High School, Homeboyz, The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez, Nerd Girls: The Rise of the Dorkasaurus, The Downside of Being Up, Daddies Do It Different, CinderSmella, and Nerd Girls: A Catastrophe of Nerdish Proportions
The American Library Association named Homeboyz a Top Ten Book of the Year 2008, receiving the prestigious ALA Quick Pick Recognition for