This document provides biographical information about author Laurie Halse Anderson and summarizes some of her novels, including Speak, Prom, and Catalyst. It discusses when and where she was born, her education, early career, and some of her major writing successes and awards. Key details are provided about the plots of Speak, Prom, and Catalyst along with potential classroom activities related to each book.

1. Laurie Halse Anderson Author Study MSED 7331 Christina Tucker Dyson

2. Biographical Information Born on October 23, 1961 in Potsdam, NY Born Laurie Beth Halse (“Haltz”) As a child she loved historical fiction As a teenager she enjoyed science fiction and fantasy At sixteen she lived in Denmark on a pig farm as an exchange student She attended Onondaga Community College for two years.

3. She graduated from Georgetown University in 1984 with a BSLL in Language and Linguistics When she began to write books she received many rejection letters. In 1996 her first book Ndito Runs was published. Later in 1996 Turkey Pox came out. Finnegan’s Wake was the most important book to her

4. In 1996 her first book Ndito Runs was published. Later in 1996 Turkey Pox came out. Finnegan’s Wake was the most important book to her

5. She gets an idea for a novel everyday. Ideas for novels pop into her head out of nowhere. Sometimes she gets ideas while she is reading, sometimes in an airport, or from something she overhears. She starts writing a book based on a plot or a character. First drafts are her least favorite part of writing. But her favorite part is when the magic is flowing and she loses track of things. She says that writing keeps her sane. She always feels better after she has been writing. She has three life mottos: Adapt and overcome. Read or die. It’s not a mistake if you learn from it.

6. Novels

7. Picture Books

8. Jobs 1989 – 1992: Reporter, The Record and The Philadelphia Inquirer 1992 – 1998: Freelance Reporter for trade journals 1998 – today: Full-time author and speaker

9. Memberships Author’s Guild Organization of American Historians Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators

10. Awards 2002 Free Library of Philedelphia/Drexil University Children’s Literature Citation 2004 Fayetville-Manilus Hall of Distinction 2006 Onondaga Community College Alumni Faces Award

11. Prom ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2006 Nominee ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults 2006 Nominee International Reading Association Young Adults Choice Junior Library Guild selection New York Times Best Seller List

12. Prom Prom is about an ordinary, normal girl (as she describes herself), named Ashley Hannigan. Her best friend is Natalia Shulmensky. Natalia is on the prom committee and Ashley doesn’t really care about the prom. During math class one day, their teacher Ms. Crane was arrested, she had stolen their prom money. Surprisingly Ashley is the one that comes up with the idea to have the prom in the gym at school. Nat, the committee and the principal convince Ashley to help with the planning. All of the committee pitched in finding chaperones, vendors, security, DJ, etc. The gym is decorated so beautifully, you couldn’t recognize it. Through a strange turn of events Ashley ends up at the prom minus TJ her loser boyfriend. She dances with a drop dead gorgeous guy. She avoided her vice principal most of the night. She had help from friends, strangers, even teachers. The vice principal told her she would be arrested if she attended prom. At the end of the night, her luck ran out. The judge dropped the charges though because when he was in school, he hated Mr. Gilroy's class too. To find out all of he details, read the book. This book hit home because I am a math teacher and prom advisor. However, I have never run off with any money. I like how the students all pitched in to have a great prom

13. Strategy for Prom I think a good project for this book would be to have students tell what they would do if all of their prom money had been stolen. You could also have them plan a prom budget. Then you could have students exchange plans to see what they had in common.

14. Speak ALA Best Book for Young Adults ALA Top-10 Books for Young Adults ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist IRA Young Adult Choice Junior Library Guild Selection Michael L. Printz Honor Book (ALA) National Book Award Finalist New York Public Library Book for the teen Age New York Times Best Seller List SCBWI Golden Kite Award YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults

15. Speak This book is about teenager Melinda Sordino. Before high school she had a lot of friends and a good existence. Then during a summer party everything changes for her. She loses all of her friends. She called the cops to a party during the summer where a lot of people got in trouble. When she enters the ninth grade, she has lost all of her friends. People that do not even know her hate her. She is not the same girl that she used to be. She becomes withdrawn. She doesn’t like to talk to anyone. Even her parents don’t seem to notice that anything is seriously wrong with her. Something happened at that party that has changed her. Will she ever tell anyone what happened? Speak was also made into a movie. Laurie Halse Anderson played a lunch lady that dipped mashed potatoes for Melinda.

16. Strategy for Speak There are several characters in this book. Even though they are not all main characters, students do learn enough about them to know what makes them tick. Students can choose a character and do a body biography for that character. They need to draw representations of their heart, hands, feet, backbone, and mind. They also need to include something in the background that relates to the character.

17. Catalyst ALA Best Book for Young Adults ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age YALSA Odyssey Audio book Award

18. Catalyst This book took place in the same high school as Speak did. It even had some common characters which I thought was cool. This book was about Kate Malone. Her father is a preacher, Rev. Dad, and her mother died when she was in the fourth grade. She has a brother Toby who she takes care of. She even gives her father headache medicine when he needs it. Kate has a Good Kate and a Bad Kate that live inside her head. She runs at night because she can’t sleep. She is waiting to hear from the only college that she applied to, MIT. Due to a barn fire that causes damage to a house, Teri Litch and her brother Mikey come to live with the Malones. Kate and Teri do not have the best of relationships. They are continually forced together. They soon develop a tolerance maybe even a friendship with each other. Kate’s boyfriend, Mitch, doesn’t quite seem to understand her relationship with Teri. As they all grow closer, the unthinkable happens which throws them all into a tailspin. To find out what happened and if Kate got into MIT read the book. This book was very good. It had a little bit of everything in it from religion to romance to incest to friendship to stress. There are so many avenues that a class could explore when reading this book.

19. Strategy for Catalyst At the end of the book Kate makes a decision about what she is going to do instead of going to MIT. What do you think happens after that? What did you want to happen at the end of the book? Students will write a continuance of the ending or they will write an alternate ending for the book. Their essay should be at least two pages.

20. Twisted ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2008 ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults 2008 International Reading Association Top Ten of 2007 New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age New York Times Best Seller List Several State Awards and Bookseller and Media Recognitions

21. Fever 1793 ALA Best Book for Young Adults International Reader Association Teacher’s Choice Parent’s Guide to Children’s Media Award Jefferson Cup Honor Book (for historical fiction) Junior Library Guild Selection Children’s Book of the Month Club Selection The New York Public Library’s 100 Best Books of Fall 2000 The New York Public Library's “Best 2001 Book for the Teenage

22. Sources http://www.writerlady.com/me.html http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-anderson-laurie.asp http://www.writerlady.com/me.html