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Anderson, L. H. (2003). Catalyst. New York, NY, U.S.A.: Speak.

This coming-of-age novel takes place in the same setting as Speak. Eighteen-year-old Kate Malone believes she has two sides: her "good" side (track star, straight A student, dutiful daughter) and her "bad" side (bitter jealousy toward other seniors' early college acceptance and feelings of rebellion), which may be attributed to having a widowed reverend father. While keeping her life organized and anxiously awaiting for an acceptance letter from MIT, a fire breaks out in the nearby house of her enemy, Teri Litch, who has been cruel to her since elementary school. Because of this, Teri and her family must stay with Kate and her family. To make things worse, a rejection letter from MIT comes. Kate is challenged in a variety of ways -- dealing with the person who has tormented her since grade school and telling her father that she hasn't applied to any other colleges -- and she learns much about who she is and the various sides of other people along the way.

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Anderson, L. H. (2008). Chains. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Set at the start of the Revolutionary War, Chains is the empowering story of a young slave girl named Isabel. At thirteen years old, she works for the Locktons, a Loyalist family, in Manhattan with her sister, Ruth. After the treatment of her and her sister worsens over time, she begins to consider an offer: becoming a spy for the patriot cause in exchange for her freedom. By eavesdropping on their owners, she is able to report their Loyalist matters to Curzon, the slave of a patriot officer. She discovers that her owners are planning to participate in the assassination of General Washington, which she reports to the patriot army; eventually, Mr. Lockton discovers he was found out somehow and escapes to England. Meanwhile, Mrs. Lockton sells Ruth. Isabel, bereft and wanting to find her sister, tries to escape by offering to work on a British ship, which will gain her freedom, but she is denied. Mrs. Lockton eventually finds out about her spying, and Isabel stands up to her. Soon after she is punished for it, she runs away, helping her new friend Curzon escape as well. She is now on the search for her sister.

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Anderson, L. H. (2010). Wintergirls. New York: Viking Books for Young Readers.

After learning about her best friend Cassie's death, Lia Overbrook begins to be haunted by the memory of her. She listens to the thirty-three voicemails left to her from the night Cassie passed away, which Lia does not want to share with anyone. Cassie passed away from bulimia, and Lia believes her ghost is urging her now to work harder to get thinner. Lia does not want to be hospitalized again, nor does she want to return to rehab, but constant stress from her divorced and detached parents as well as the "haunting" drive her to continue skipping meals and overexercising. Cassie's ghost shows up more often, and Lia engages in self-harm. Lia goes to the motel where Cassie died, and she nearly overdoses on sleeping pills because her dreams are filled with voices. Cassie appears before her and, despite her friend's ghost saying that the two of them are almost together now, Lia makes the decision to live. Finding strength within herself, she breaks free of Cassie's ghost and seeks treatment on her own.

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Anderson, L. H. (2000). Fever, 1793. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

This historical novel follows the story of Mattie, whose life takes a turn during the summer of 1793 during the Yellow Fever epidemic. She begins her day like any other, helping her mother and grandfather run their coffee shop, when they receive news that their servant girl Polly has suddenly died from catching Yellow Fever. She is just one of the few at the start of the outbreak, and word spreads about the sicknesses; soon many more about town catch the Yellow Fever. Mattie's mother catches the illness, and she and her grandfather leave town to avoid getting sick. The two of them get sick, however, and spend some weeks in a hospital. After recovering, they return home to their home they discover that the place has been ransacked. Robbers arrive that night, and her grandfather loses his life fighting them. Mattie goes to search for her mother, meanwhile reuniting with Eliza, a woman who lived with her and her family, and meeting an orphaned child named Nell who she has begun to care for. Eventually, they all live through the epidemic and live together with Eliza's brother Joseph and his children, reopening the coffee shop.

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Laurie Halse Anderson has written books for multiple ages -- teens and children alike. Her Vet Volunteers series feature simple plots with moral lessons about the treatment and care of animals; I would deem this series appropriate for readers ages 8 - 11. Anderson's historical novels address real issues in history (like slavery in Chains or losing family to yellow fever in Fever 1793), and main characters' sense of identity and introspective strength are put to the test during trying times. As good books to include in lesson plans, with characters who are growing and changing like the intended readers, I would set this target age range as 12 - 15.

The books Anderson has been most well-known for the longest amount of time are Speak and Wintergirls, which have protagonists in high school. In comparison to her other books, these are the books that have been read and studied in classrooms for a longer amount of time, despite their controversial nature. The stories deal with topics that have been considered questionable -- sexual abuse, anorexia -- but they are real things that occur in high schools, which some adolescent readers might be able to relate to. Other themes such as self-image, questioning authority figures, romance, and moral ambiguity in decision-making will resound with teens going through similar experiences. I would set this age range as 14 - 17.

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Anderson's books are at once entertaining and have educational merit. With her historical books, I would put those at a 70/30 split (academic versus pleasure reading). The focus on the effects of slavery in her Seeds of America trilogy as well as the emphasis on the historical context of the American Revolution makes these books ideal for a school setting. As a fan of historical fiction, I remember reading Fever 1793 multiple times when younger simply because it was interesting, and I remember being the only one really interested in reading historical fiction in my class! (Though I know I can't truly have been the only one.) I ended up learning quite a lot; it is no surprise that the book has been used for classroom study.

For her older teen books, I would put them at a 40/60 split. They are still being challenged, and many parents' opinions against the texts (that certain behavior or self-harm present in the stories will give their children ideas, for example) keep them from being more commonly-used in the classroom. However, the stories have interesting premises, and characters with relatable voices that teens are likely to find engaging. Classroom discussions crafted carefully around these issues can make for great lesson plans about approaching real-world problems. Karen Coats touches on the topic of male identity and self-formation in the presence of groups (p. 318) in her article Growing Up, in Theory; while characters both male and female in Anderson's books discover who they are through self-reflection, the way they act while in the company of others contributes to their self-image as well. Her book Twisted explores this through a the point of view of a male protagonist, exploring the topics of gender roles and masculinity.

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This is a silent book trailer for Anderson's 2009 book Wintergirls. Often compared to Speak in its realistic fiction genre and focus on a real-world high school setting, the story follows Lia Overbrook and her struggle with anorexia and self-harm.

This book was received well: among other recognitions, it was a New York Times bestseller and made the ALA Best Books for Young Adults list in 2010.

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Seated here with graphic novel artist Emily Carroll, on February 6, 2018, Anderson visited independent bookstore Politics and Prose to talk about the graphic novel adaptation of her book Speak.

Today, her book dealing with abuse and trauma has become relevant once again following the #MeToo movement and the greater emphasis on female empowerment and speaking up.

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A few panels from the graphic novel adaptation of Anderson's impactful first novel Speak, published in February of 2018. Emily Carroll's artwork brings to life the story of main character Melinda and her perception of high school life.

In an interview, Anderson describes her appreciation for Carroll's ability to "convey darkness, tension, and depression" through her art, and how this was why she chose her to illustrate this story.

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Awards and Recognition: YA/Historical Fiction

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Awards and Recognition: YA/Historical Fiction

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In 2009, Laurie Halse Anderson won the Margaret A. Edwards award for three of her books: her young adult fiction books Speak and Catalyst, and the historical children's book Fever 1793. This award is given to authors of multiple works in children's literature and is meant to honor a specific body of work, acknowledging an author's lifetime contribution in writing for young adult readers. This award is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association.

Anderson's historical fiction book for young readers, Chains, was the recipient of the Scott O' Dell Award for Historical Fiction in 2009. Taking place during the Revolutionary War, it is recognized for its literary and educational merit as it follows the life of a young slave named Isabel fighting for the freedom of her and her sister.

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Anderson promoting her book Wintergirls on June 27, 2010 at a YA author coffee klatch on the morning of the Newberry/Caldecott Banquet. The Banquet has been referred to as a "red carpet event" for children's literature, a gala-style event of awards and acceptance speeches of children's and YA authors prominent in today's literary scene.

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Although known for her YA novels, Laurie Halse Anderson is also the author of several books for children. The Vet Volunteers series, published from 2007-2014, follows the stories of children who volunteer at the Wild at Heart Animal Clinic and solve mysteries while helping the animals.

The events the children deal with in the books revolve around animal care like helping find cures for mysterious illnesses, finding the person who set traps in a nature reserve, and helping injured animals. These are just a few pictured below.

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When her book Chains was released, Anderson was recognized once again by the National Book Foundation (the first time was for her book Speak in 1999). On November 19, 2008, Anderson attended the 59th Annual Ceremony on and Benefit Dinner that took place in New York City, where the awarding of the finalist position of her book would be announced.

Established in 1950, the National Book Award has been received by a multitude of prominent and historic authors including Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, John Cheever, Alice Walker, and many more.

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A National Book Awards finalist in the "Young People's Literature" category as well as a recipient of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book in the same year, Anderson's book Speak received much recognition. Her story dealing with real-world problems that does not shy away from its addressing of sexual abuse and trauma, inspired by events that happened to herself as a teenager, did not go unnoticed. Today, the book is still used in classroom settings, with discussion guides on how to approach these topics and resources for people experiencing issues similar to those present in the book.

In 2000, it won the Golden Kite Award for Fiction. This award, given out by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, is given annually to recognize excellent children's literature. Around this time, however, Speak was getting another type of attention--this time as a challenged book. Though not an award, it might be interesting to note that it made the American Library Association's list of "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009" (#60) for its difficult content that deals with trauma and mature adolescent subject matter.

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In this image, Laurie Halse Anderson is accepting one of many awards thanks to her writing for young readers. She is receiving the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Award on November 21, 2015; this award, established by the National Council of Teachers of English, is given to those who promote intellectual freedom.

Potential recipients of this award must show a desire to fight censorship and stand behind the idea of intellectual freedom. Because her books have been challenged in the past for their content -- namely Speak -- she has staunchly stood behind them and fought for the ability to speak out. "Those of us who create for young readers know that our freedoms to think, speak, and write cannot bear fruit unless America respects the intellectual freedom of educators as well," she said in her acceptance speech.