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Anderson, L.H. (1999). Speak. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Speak is by far Anderson's most popular work. Melinda, a high school freshman, starts the year as a total outcast. The story is told from Melinda's point of view which gives a great glimpse into her mind, since Melinda has also stopped speaking since coming back to school. Her parents and teachers are concerned, and the rest of the school completely ignores her. Through Melinda's thoughts and memories we find out that she was responsible for breaking up a summer party by calling the cops, which led to her pariah status. Melinda struggles to find her voice, both figuratively and literally, to stand up for herself against those who are bullying her. Anderson dives into some emotional themes around sexual assault and victim blaming in Melinda's story.

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Laurie Halse Anderson has won two National Book Awards. The first was in 1999 for her book Speak and the second was in 2008 for her historical YA novel Chains. She also made the long list of finalists in 2014.

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Laurie Halse Anderson - National Book Foundation

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Laurie Halse Anderson is a New York Times bestselling author of books for kids of all ages--including Speak, Fever 1793, Chains, Twisted, and many others.

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Anderson, L.H. (2002). Catalyst. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Catalyst is a story that centers around high school senior, Kate Malone. Kate is known for being a straight A student, math and science genius destined for MIT. In fact, she is so confident she will get into MIT she doesn't apply anywhere else. Things seem to be going well until two unconnected events send Kate's life into a tail spin: her neighbor and nemesis is forced to move in after their house burns down, and she gets a rejection letter from MIT. Without direction and feeling constantly on edge around the unwelcome house guests, Kate tries to keep her life together, hide her lack of college options and make it through her senior year. Kate struggles with the common challenges in Anderson's novels - navigating social status and friendships, dealing with family pressures and finding out that she can't judge those around her based on their outward appearances.

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Laurie Halse Anderson speaks at OCTE:
In 2015, Anderson was the keynote speaker at the Oregon Conference for Teachers of English. She spoke about her methodology as she embarked on her first historical novel Fever, 1793.

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Annotated Bib #3: The Impossible Knife of Memory

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Annotated Bib #3: The Impossible Knife of Memory

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Anderson, L.H. (2014). The impossible knife of memory. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

The Impossible Knife of Memory strays a bit from Anderson's common themes but is just as powerful as her other works. This semi-autobiographical work follows Hayley Kincain as she struggles between two worlds. At home she is caretaker to her veteran father who suffers from PTSD. At school she meets Finn, who helps Hayley feel more like a normal teenager. As her father's illness gets worse, She struggles to conceal her fathers drinking and the fact that he has lost his job. At school she pretends that nothing is wrong, covers for her father's failings and puts on an air of nonchalance that is carefully constructed. When her father pushes for them to move to a new town, which has been their normal pattern over the years, Hayley is torn. The themes tackled in this story center around dealing with mental illness as a young person and being thrust into the role of caregiver, and the challenges that come with helping to keep a family together.

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Laurie Halse Anderson has written 36 books aimed at students from elementary grades to mature young adult. Her picture books and the Vet Volunteer series are targeted towards elementary students. Her historical fiction novels are targeted at 6th-8th grade students because they are aligned with the common middle school social studies curriculum (early founding of colonies and slavery). Her young adult books appeal to an older audience of 14+ year old students. Most of the main characters in these novels are high school students themselves, who face coming-of-age challenges such as dealing with family pressures, college acceptance, fitting in with peer groups, mental illness and sexual abuse.

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In 2009 Anderson won the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association (ALA). The Edwards award recognizes authors who have "made a significant and lasting contribution for writing for teens."

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Contacts: Macey Morales/Jennifer Petersen
ALA Media Relations
312-280-4393/5043

For Immediate Release
January 26, 2009

DENVER - Laurie Halse Anderson is the recipient of the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. The award was presented for her books, "Catalyst"; "Fever 1793"; and "Speak" by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), at the ALA Midwinter Meeting held Jan. 23 - 28 in Denver.

These gripping and exceptionally well-written novels by Laurie Halse Anderson, through various settings, time periods, and circumstances, poignantly reflect the growing and changing realities facing teens. Iconic and classic in her storytelling and character development, Anderson has created for teens a body of work that continues to be widely read and cherished by a diverse audience.

In "Catalyst," published by Viking Children's Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, overachiever Kate Malone is forced to confront unresolved issues when girl bully Terri and her family move into her home. "Fever 1793," published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, shows how Mattie Cook's dreams for the future are reduced to a day-to-day struggle for survival as a yellow fever epidemic fills the streets of Philadelphia. In "Speak," a 2000 Printz Honor Book, published by Puffin Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, Melinda Sordino is silenced by a trauma and ostracized by her classmates until she once again faces her attacker and finds the strength to fight back.

"Laurie Halse Anderson masterfully gives voice to teen characters undergoing transformations in their lives through their honesty and perseverance while finding the courage to be true to themselves," said Edwards Committee Chair David Mowery.

Laurie Halse Anderson will be honored at the YALSA Edwards Award Luncheon and presented with a citation and cash prize of $2,000 during the 2009 ALA Annual Conference to be held in Chicago, July 9 - 15. The award is sponsored by School Library Journal.

Members of the 2009 Edwards Committee are: Chair David Mowery, Brooklyn (N.Y.) Public Library; Stephen Crowley, Putnam County Library System, Palatka, Fla.; Kristine Mahood, Timberland Regional Library, Tumwater, Wash.; Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton; and Stephanie Squicciarini, Fairport (N.Y.) Public Library.

The award is named in honor of the late Margaret Alexander Edwards, a pioneer in providing library services to young adults, who worked at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. She used adult books extensively with young adults to broaden their experience and enrich their understanding of themselves and their world.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists .

For information on the Margaret A. Edwards Award and other ALA literary awards, please visit www.ala.org/yma.
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Laurie Halse Anderson wins 2009 Edwards Award for significant and lasting contribution to young adult readers for "Catalyst"; "Fever 1793"; and "Speak"

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Contacts: Macey Morales/Jennifer Petersen ALA Media Relations 312-280-4393/5043 For Immediate Release January 26, 2009 DENVER - Laurie Halse Anderson is the recipient of the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens.

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Anderson, L.H. (2007). Twisted. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Twisted follows Tyler Miller as he tries to navigate his senior year of high school while juggling family pressures, his new-found popularity and the attention of his crush. Throughout the story we find out that Tyler had graffitied the school the prior year, been arrested and sentenced to community service. This earned him the reputation of a bad boy and a lot more attention than he was used to. Tyler also has to deal with the fact that his crush, Bethany Milbury, is not only the daughter of his fathers boss but also the brother of his sworn enemy. At first Tyler enjoys the attention of others but after a party gone awry, Tyler is blamed for more than his share of the trouble since he is the 'bad boy' on probation. Meanwhile, his family is crumbling under the pressure of his dad's work and Tyler's continuing to 'get into trouble' at seemingly every turn. How Tyler and his family navigate life teaches the reader a lot about resilience and working through social and family troubles.

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I think there is a 50/50 chance that students will read Laurie Halse Anderson stories in school or independently. Stories like Fever 1793, Chains and Speak have all become of part of middle and high school curriculums in many places. These stories may be students first exposure to Anderson's writing style and are good stories to be read in schools, especially in the case of Speak where students can be led through some of the more complex themes of sexual assault and victim blaming. Stories like Catalyst and The Impossible Knife of Memory, for example, are more likely to be read independently, I believe partly because they are less common in school and have themes that are easier to relate to for most teenagers.

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Anderson's new novel Shout is set to be released March of 2019. She describes the new story as a free-verse autobiography of her own life. She hints at this story giving the origins of her popular work Speak and The Impossible Knife of Memory.

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Anderson, L.H. (2014). Chains. New York, NY: Penguin Group.

Chains is the story of two sisters, Isabel and Ruth, who are slaves in the American colonies. Sold from their home in Rhode Island after believing they would be freed, they find themselves in New York, purchased by a family of Loyalists. The story outlines the historical events of 1776 New York and some of the battles between the rebels and loyalists, while also telling the story of being a slave at that same time. The story ends with a segue into the second book in the series, Forge. Written for middle school students, this story is a perfect way to pair social studies curriculum with literature study, looking at both the character development and the historical events that are portrayed.

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Chains won the Scott O'Dell award for historical fiction in 2009. The Scott O'Dell Award aims to bring awareness to historical fiction as a genre to encourage more authors to write historical novels for young audiences. Chains was Anderson's second historical novel, written about the Revolutionary War.

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Submit An Award Nomination

Established by Scott O'Dell and Zena Sutherland in 1982, the Scott O'Dell Award is given for a distinguished work of historical fiction for young readers. To be eligible, a book must be published by a U.S. publisher; the setting must be South, Central or North America; and the author must be a U.S. citizen. Books published during each cal

Established by Scott O'Dell and Zena Sutherland in 1982, the Scott O'Dell Award is given for a distinguished work of historical fiction for young readers. To be eligible, a book must be published by a U.S. publisher; the setting must be South, Central or North America; and the author must be a U.S. citizen. Books published during each calendar year are eligible for the following year's award. Awards are normally given during the annual ALA Conference. However, due to author schedules, awards may be given during the Winter meeting. The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction's Awards Committee may consider any eligible book, but publishers' submissions are valuable in bringing books to the attention of the Committee. To be eligible for the award, a book must have been published as a book intended for children or young people, it must be set in the New World (Canada, Central or South America, or the United States), it must be published by a publisher in the United States, and it must be written in English by a citizen of the United States. Each year the selection is made by the Award Committee, which was headed from its inception in 1982 until her death in 2002 by Zena Sutherland, Professor Emeritus of Children's Literature at the University of Chicago.

The home of The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is the Reinberger Children's Library Center at the Kent State University iSchool in Kent, Ohio.

In 2022, the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction was moved to Kent State University's iSchool Reinberger Children's Library Center. In partnership with Kent State University, th

The home of The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is the Reinberger Children's Library Center at the Kent State University iSchool in Kent, Ohio.

In 2022, the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction was moved to Kent State University's iSchool Reinberger Children's Library Center. In partnership with Kent State University, the O'Dell family and matriarchs Elizabeth Hall (Scott's widow) and Lauren Anderson Gerber (Scott's granddaughter) continue to administer and fund the annual award.

The family is grateful to the following members of the 2024 Award Committee: Maria Trivisonno (Chair),Family Engagement Specialist, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH; Kristen Blackshear, Social Studies Teacher, Glenwood School, Smiths Station, AL, and Adjunct History Instructor, Southern Union State Community College, Opelika, AL; Marianne Martens, Ph.D., Professor, Kent State University School of Information, Kent, OH; Mary Anne Nichols, Senior Lecturer, Kent State University School of Information, Kent, OH; Uma Nori, Head, Youth Services, Thomas Ford Memorial Library, Western Springs, IL; Debra Liddell Quarles, Library and Information Specialist, Shaker Heights City Schools, Shaker Heights, OH; Mike Rogalla, Children's Services Manager, Champaign Public Library, Champaign, IL; and Kerry Shelton, Principal, St. Gabriel Consolidated School, Glendale, OH.

If you have inquiries regarding the submission process or timeline that the information provided in the column to the right doesn't address, please email Maria Tribisonno at mtrivisonno@cuyahogalibrary.org and put "O'Dell Award" in the subject line.

Books may be submitted throughout the year to the Award Committee.

An Awards Nomination Form (download below) must be submitted with the required information for each title you wish to bring to the attention of the Award Committee.

Send the following information directly to Maria Trivisonno, Committee Chair, at her email address, mtrivis

Books may be submitted throughout the year to the Award Committee.

An Awards Nomination Form (download below) must be submitted with the required information for each title you wish to bring to the attention of the Award Committee.

Send the following information directly to Maria Trivisonno, Committee Chair, at her email address, mtrivisonno@cuyahogalibrary.org:

Indicate O'Dell Award Nomination Candidate;

Submit Book Title (include a subtitle if there is one), Author, Publisher, Month and Year of Publication;

Include Name, telephone number, and e-mail address of the publishing house contact.

The Chair will send a roster to interested parties so that all committee members may receive a copy of the nominated title.

In addition to print copies of nominated titles, the committee will also accept directly submitted PDFs or e-galleys via Edelweiss, which should whitelist the committee emails and have no expiration date, and committee members should be emailed notice of the Edelweiss submission.

Once the award recipient is selected and the publisher and/or literary agent is notified, the publisher must provide two additional copies of the selected book to the Committee for the O'Dell family.

If you have inquiries regarding the submission process or timeline that the information provided in the column to the right doesn't address, please email Maria Tribisonno at mtrivisonno@cuyahogalibrary.org and put "O'Dell Award" in the subject line.

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Laurie Halse Anderson has been an advocate for students and educators speaking out against literary censorship in schools. Speak has ended up on the challenged or banned list in many places since it was published in 1999 due to its strong content. Twisted was also challenged in 2009. Anderson wrote a poignant response to the district that proposed removing Twisted, which you can read here: (http://madwomanintheforest.com/educators/censorship/challenges-to-twisted/)

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In 2004 Speak was make into a movie. Starring Kristen Stewart as Melinda, the movie was first aired at the Sundance Film Festival before making its way to Showtime and LIfetime. Often, movie versions of a book are not as well done, as was the general opinion of the Speak movie, yet it broadened her exposure to young audiences through one of her most popular stories.