Laurie Halse Anderson
Encyclopedia
Laurie Halse Anderson (born Laurie Beth Halse on October 23, 1961 in Potsdam, New York) is an American
author who writes for children and young adults.
Anderson began her career as a freelance journalist, and worked for a time at The Philadelphia Inquirer
. In 1999, Farrar, Straus and Giroux published what is arguably Anderson's most famous novel so far, Speak
, which won numerous awards and was a The New York Times best seller. Speak was adapted into a film
in 2004, starring Kristen Stewart
in the lead role of Melinda Sordino
. Anderson's novel, Speak, became a finalist for the prestigious National Book Award. That 1999 novel won an array of honors for Anderson, the author of three earlier picture books for younger readers, for its searing portrayal of a fourteen-year-old girl who becomes mute after a sexual assault. The paperback version was published in 2001 by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing. Speak has been translated into 16 languages.
The following year, Anderson's Fever, 1793
, a historical fiction novel set in Philadelphia during the Yellow Fever epidemic, was published by Simon and Schuster. Fever, 1793 received two starred reviews, many state and national awards, and was a Publishers Weekly Bestseller. In May 2004, the Gifford Family Theatre, in Syracuse, New York, held their premier stage play adapted from the novel.
In 2002, Anderson saw her next young adult novel, Catalyst
, set in the same high school as Speak, and featuring cameo appearances from the earlier book's characters, published by Penguin, under the Viking imprint. Catalyst became a Barnes & Noble Best Teen Book of 2002, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, and was nominated for many state awards.
A historical fiction picture book, Thank You, Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving was also published in 2002. Thank You, Sarah received two starred reviews, several state award nominations and was named to the ALA Amelia Bloomer List and the Junior Library Guild Selection.
Anderson published Prom in 2005, which appeared on The New York Times best seller list during early 2005,. Prom received three starred reviews, was nominated for several state awards and received national recognition from the American Library Association and the International Reading Association.
Twisted
, was released in the spring of 2007 by Viking. This being Anderson's fourth YA novel, it has won awards such as the National Awards: ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2008, ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults 2008, International Reading Association Top Ten of 2007, and New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age, and also became a The New York Times best seller.
In 2008, Anderson published another historical fiction book, a narrative about a teenage Revolutionary War-era slave, entitled Chains. The novel, the first in a trilogy dubbed Seeds of America, was awarded the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
.
Anderson's most recent young adult novel, Wintergirls
, was released in March 2009. The novel tells the story of two girls suffering from anorexia
, one of whom is dead when the novel opens. Wintergirls has received five-star reviews, many nominations for state awards, has been named an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults, was a Junior Library Guild Selection and debuted on The New York Times Best Seller list. Wintergirls has been published in over 15 different countries.
The second novel in the Seeds of America trilogy, Forge, was released in October, 2010, by Simon and Schuster. In the short time since its release, Forge has received three starred reviews and has become a Junior Library Guild Selection, a Kirkus Best Book for Teens: Historical Novels 2010, The Horn Book Fanfare List Best Book of 2010 and a YALSA 2011 Best Books for Young Adults.
for Catalyst, Fever 1793, and Speak.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author who writes for children and young adults.
Career
Anderson was born October 23, 1961, in the northern New York town of Potsdam. Her father was a Methodist minister who wrote poetry on the side, and as a girl Anderson loved to play with his typewriter. She once commented, "I decided to become a writer in second grade. My teacher, Mrs. Sheedy-Shea, taught us how to write haiku. The giant light bulb clicked on over my head: 'Oh, my goodness! I can do this!' I hope every second grader learns how to write haiku."Anderson began her career as a freelance journalist, and worked for a time at The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
. In 1999, Farrar, Straus and Giroux published what is arguably Anderson's most famous novel so far, Speak
Speak (novel)
Speak is a 1999 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson about a girl named Melinda Sordino who is an outcast as a high school freshman. It was made into a film of the same name in 2004. The novel was a New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller...
, which won numerous awards and was a The New York Times best seller. Speak was adapted into a film
Speak (film)
Speak is a 2004 American independent film based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Laurie Halse Anderson. It stars a then 13-year-old Kristen Stewart as Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman who practically stops talking after being raped by a senior student. The film is told through...
in 2004, starring Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Jaymes Stewart is an American actress. She is best known for playing Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga. She has also starred in films including Panic Room , Zathura , In the Land of Women , The Messengers , Adventureland and The Runaways .- Early life :Stewart was born and raised in Los...
in the lead role of Melinda Sordino
Melinda Sordino
Melinda Sordino is the main character and narrator of Laurie Halse Anderson's 1999 novel Speak. Her last name, Sordino, is an Italian word that can be translated as "mute" or "deaf."-Character:...
. Anderson's novel, Speak, became a finalist for the prestigious National Book Award. That 1999 novel won an array of honors for Anderson, the author of three earlier picture books for younger readers, for its searing portrayal of a fourteen-year-old girl who becomes mute after a sexual assault. The paperback version was published in 2001 by Puffin Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing. Speak has been translated into 16 languages.
The following year, Anderson's Fever, 1793
Fever 1793
Fever, 1793 is a historical novel by Laurie Halse Anderson that was published in 2000. Set during the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic of 1793, its protagonist and narrator is a teenage girl named Matilda Cook who lives with her hardworking mother, war-fought grandfather, and their ex- slave...
, a historical fiction novel set in Philadelphia during the Yellow Fever epidemic, was published by Simon and Schuster. Fever, 1793 received two starred reviews, many state and national awards, and was a Publishers Weekly Bestseller. In May 2004, the Gifford Family Theatre, in Syracuse, New York, held their premier stage play adapted from the novel.
In 2002, Anderson saw her next young adult novel, Catalyst
Catalyst (novel)
Catalyst is a 2002 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson about a senior named Kate Malone. It can be regarded as a sequel to Speak, as it has the same setting in Merryweather High School and a cameo appearance by Melinda Sordino , and it takes place a year after the events in Speak...
, set in the same high school as Speak, and featuring cameo appearances from the earlier book's characters, published by Penguin, under the Viking imprint. Catalyst became a Barnes & Noble Best Teen Book of 2002, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, and was nominated for many state awards.
A historical fiction picture book, Thank You, Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving was also published in 2002. Thank You, Sarah received two starred reviews, several state award nominations and was named to the ALA Amelia Bloomer List and the Junior Library Guild Selection.
Anderson published Prom in 2005, which appeared on The New York Times best seller list during early 2005,. Prom received three starred reviews, was nominated for several state awards and received national recognition from the American Library Association and the International Reading Association.
Twisted
Twisted (novel)
Twisted is a 2007 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson about a teenage boy named Tyler Miller. The plot revolves around Tyler's experiences in his community after committing a crime at his high school which earned him a negative reputation...
, was released in the spring of 2007 by Viking. This being Anderson's fourth YA novel, it has won awards such as the National Awards: ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2008, ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults 2008, International Reading Association Top Ten of 2007, and New York Public Library Best Books for the Teen Age, and also became a The New York Times best seller.
In 2008, Anderson published another historical fiction book, a narrative about a teenage Revolutionary War-era slave, entitled Chains. The novel, the first in a trilogy dubbed Seeds of America, was awarded the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an American award established in 1982 to encourage authors to focus on historical fiction. The award was created by Scott O’Dell, author of Island of the Blue Dolphins and 25 other children's books, in hopes of increasing young readers' interest in...
.
Anderson's most recent young adult novel, Wintergirls
Wintergirls
Wintergirls is a young adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. It follows the story of Lia, an eighteen-year-old girl dealing anorexia nervosa. The novel opens with the news that Lia's ex-best-friend Cassie, who was both anorexic and bulimic, has died under mysterious circumstance...
, was released in March 2009. The novel tells the story of two girls suffering from anorexia
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
, one of whom is dead when the novel opens. Wintergirls has received five-star reviews, many nominations for state awards, has been named an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults, was a Junior Library Guild Selection and debuted on The New York Times Best Seller list. Wintergirls has been published in over 15 different countries.
The second novel in the Seeds of America trilogy, Forge, was released in October, 2010, by Simon and Schuster. In the short time since its release, Forge has received three starred reviews and has become a Junior Library Guild Selection, a Kirkus Best Book for Teens: Historical Novels 2010, The Horn Book Fanfare List Best Book of 2010 and a YALSA 2011 Best Books for Young Adults.
Awards
In January, 2009, Anderson was awarded the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards AwardMargaret Edwards Award
The Margaret A. Edwards Award is awarded annually to an author for a specific body of his or her work, which has made a significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. It recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about...
for Catalyst, Fever 1793, and Speak.
Young adult novels
- SpeakSpeak (novel)Speak is a 1999 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson about a girl named Melinda Sordino who is an outcast as a high school freshman. It was made into a film of the same name in 2004. The novel was a New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller...
(1999) - CatalystCatalyst (novel)Catalyst is a 2002 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson about a senior named Kate Malone. It can be regarded as a sequel to Speak, as it has the same setting in Merryweather High School and a cameo appearance by Melinda Sordino , and it takes place a year after the events in Speak...
(2002) - Prom (2005)
- TwistedTwisted (novel)Twisted is a 2007 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson about a teenage boy named Tyler Miller. The plot revolves around Tyler's experiences in his community after committing a crime at his high school which earned him a negative reputation...
(2007) - WintergirlsWintergirlsWintergirls is a young adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. It follows the story of Lia, an eighteen-year-old girl dealing anorexia nervosa. The novel opens with the news that Lia's ex-best-friend Cassie, who was both anorexic and bulimic, has died under mysterious circumstance...
(2009)
Historical thrillers
- Fever, 1793Fever 1793Fever, 1793 is a historical novel by Laurie Halse Anderson that was published in 2000. Set during the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic of 1793, its protagonist and narrator is a teenage girl named Matilda Cook who lives with her hardworking mother, war-fought grandfather, and their ex- slave...
(2000) - Seeds of America series, also referred to as "Chains: Seeds of America" series or simply "Chains" series.
- Chains (2008)
- Forge (2010)
- "Ashes" no publication date yet
Children's books
- Ndito Runs (1996)
- Turkey Pox (1996)
- No Time for Mother's Day (2001)
- The Big Cheese of Third Street (2002)
- Thank You, Sarah! The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving (2002)
- Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution (2008)
- The Hair of Zoe Fleefenbacher Goes to School (2009)
- Vet Volunteers series (Previously published by Pleasant Company under the title Wild at Heart)
- Fight for Life: Maggie (2007)
- Homeless: Sunita (2007)
- Trickster: David (2008)
- Manatee Blues: Brenna (2008)
- Say Good-Bye: Zoe (2008)
- Storm Rescue: Sunita (2008)
- Teacher's Pet: Maggie (2009)
- Trapped: Brenna (2009)
- Fear of Falling: David (2009, forthcoming)
- Time to Fly (2009, forthcoming)
- Masks (TBA)
- End of the Race (TBA)