Natasha Friend is an American author. Her first three books are the award-winning, young adult novels Perfect, Lush, and Bounce.

Early life and education

Friend was born in a small college town in upstate New York, to an English professor father and poet/actress mother. She began writing books at the age of nine.

In 1994, Friend received a B.A. in Psychology from Bates College

Bates College

Bates College is a highly selective, private liberal arts college located in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States. and was most recently ranked 21st in the nation in the 2011 US News Best Liberal Arts Colleges rankings. The college was founded in 1855 by abolitionists...

 in Lewiston, Maine

Lewiston, Maine

Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...

. She earned her M.A. in English at Clemson University

Clemson University

Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....

.

She has taught at the Brearley School

Brearley School

The Brearley School is an all-girls private school in New York City, New York, United States. It is located on the Upper East Side of the Manhattan borough of New York City. The school is divided into the Lower School , Middle School and Upper School...

 in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, and Ecole Bilingue-International School in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...

. Friend also served as director of the Brimmer and May Summer Camp in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Chestnut Hill is a wealthy New England village located six miles west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is not an incorporated municipal entity, but unlike most of them, it encompasses parts of three separate municipalities, each of...

.

Writing career

Friend's writing has appeared in Family Fun magazine and the book Chicken Soup for the Volunteer's Soul. In 2004, her first book, the young adult fiction novel Perfect, won the Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature.

Books

• 2004 — Perfect
  Perfect: A Novel
  Perfect written by Natasha Friend was published in 2004 by Milkweed Editions. Perfect won Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature award in 2004. This book is about a young girl’s struggle with the disease Bulimia nervosa.-Summary:...
  
  — Milkweed Editions
  Milkweed Editions
  Milkweed Editions is an independent, non-profit publishing company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Milkweed's goal is to make a positive impact on society through the transformative art of literature. Milkweed is sometimes called the largest independent, non-profit literary publisher in the United...
  
  
• 2006 — Lush: A Novel
  Lush: A Novel
  Lush is a young adult fiction novel by Natasha Friend published in 2006 by Milkweed Editions. It focuses on Samantha Gwynn, a thirteen year old girl whose father is an alcoholic, which "lush" is another name for...
  
  — Scholastic Corporation
• 2009 — Bounce — Scholastic Corporation
• 2010 — For Keeps

Awards

PERFECT

• Isinglass Teen Book Award, 2008
• Golden Sower Award, 2007
• Black-Eyed Susan Award nominee, 2007-2008
• Book Sense Pick, 2005
• Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature, 2004

LUSH

• Rhode Island Teen Book Award, 2008
• A.L.A. Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, 2006

BOUNCE

• One of NYPL's Best Books for the Teen Age, 2008

For Keeps- Parper Back 2011

External links

• Natasha Friend's Official Website