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I first learned about John Green when I was assigned to read one of his books in my Young Adult Literature class during my final semester in college. He’s quickly become one of my favorites. I’m determined to eventually read all of his books.

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Born in August 1977, Green moved several times during his childhood with his parents and brother, Hank. He graduated from Indian Springs School in 1995. He attended Kenyon College in Ohio, graduating in 2000 with a double major in English and religious studies.  Intending to become an Episcopal priest, he served as a student chaplain at a children’s hospital in Columbus, Ohio, although he ended up not attending divinity school.

Green lived in Chicago, Illinois, for several years. He worked as a publishing assistant and production editor for the book review journal Booklist. In addition, he has written book critiques for The New York Times Book Review, and created original radio essays for NPR’s All Things Considered and Chicago’s public radio station WBEZ.

His first novel, Looking For Alaska, was published in 2005. Green has written four novels individually, collaborated with other authors on two more, five short stories, and several pieces written for donors to Project for Awesome (P4A). In addition, he is an active vlogger with his brother, Hank, a podcaster, and has had roles in the movie adaptations of two of his novels (The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns).

Green has been honored with multiple awards since 2006. He received the Michael L. Printz Award in 2006 for Looking For Alaska, the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Paper Towns in 2009, the National Author Award at the Indiana Authors Award ceremony in 2012, and the Visionary Award at the mtvU Fandom Awards in 2014.

Looking For Alaska (2005)

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This was the book that started it all. I fell hard for this book in my Young Adult Literature class in the spring of 2011. Immediately after finishing the last page, I went through Longwood’s library, looking for more by Green. This is such a powerful book, almost more powerful than the others that he’s published thus far. It’s gripping, spellbinding, and heart-wrenching.

While researching for this post, I learned that Green based this book on his experiences at Indian Springs School near Birmingham, Alabama. Fascinating!

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Paper Towns (2008)

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So far, this book is tied with Looking For Alaska as my all-time favorite of Green’s. I loved this book when I first read it, and I have my own copy now. I think I re-read it three times in one year. It’s that good. I loved the movie adaptation, too.

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The Fault in Our Stars (2012)

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I reviewed this book in January 2016: Book Review #9: “The Fault in Our Stars.”

I was definitely late to the party to read this book, but I’m glad I waited until the movie hype was over. I’m glad I read the book – But, I still haven’t seen the movie. It’s a heart-breaker. Like Looking For Alaska, Green based this book on his experience as a student chaplain at the children’s hospital in Columbus, Ohio, after his college graduation.

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Turtles All The Way Down (2017)

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This has been on my TBR since I heard it was being published. Green drew from his own experiences with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for this book, and from what I understand, it’s one of his best yet.

What about you?

Have you read / seen any of John Green’s work?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

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I first discovered Ann M. Martin in elementary school, when I devoured all of The Baby-Sitters Club Little Sister books from my local and school libraries. There were so many!

Ann M. Martin was born on August 12, 1955. She grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. The daughter of a pre-school teacher and a cartoonist, Martin loved creative writing starting in second grade. As she grew, she loved working with children, and decided to become a teacher. As a teenager, she spent summer breaks working at the Eden Institute, helping autistic children.

She attended Smith College, graduating in 1977, having studied early childhood education and child psychology. After graduation, Martin taught fourth and fifth-grade students in Noroton, Connecticut. Her students had a variety of learning challenges, including dyslexia and autism. She has said that working with special needs children influenced her writing.

Martin pursued publishing after teaching. Starting as an editorial assistant, she worked her way up to senior editor at several children’s book publishers, including Pocket Books and Scholastic.

Her first book, Bummer Summer, was published in 1983. She began writing The Baby-Sitters Club series in 1985. She now focuses on single novels, many of which are set in the 1960s.

Martin has been honored with several awards, including the Children’s Choice Award in 1985, and a Newbery Honor in 2003. She started the Ann M. Martin Foundation in 1990, which supports art, education, and literacy programs, as well as programs for abused and stray animals.

Bummer Summer (1983)

This is Martin’s debut novel. I definitely want to read this one.

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Missing Since Monday (1986)

A girl is kidnapped. Sounds like my kind of book.

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The Baby-Sitters Club series (1986-2000)

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Martin wrote the original 35 books, and the rest have been ghostwritten.

This is the most complete list that I have come across: List of The Baby-Sitters Club novels.

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Baby-Sitters Little Sister series (1988-2000)

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This was the first series I completely devoured, although I don’t think I’ve actually read them all. I really identified with Karen, the main character, throughout elementary school.

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The California Diaries

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This is one series that I discovered while writing this post. I definitely want to read them, since they are journals, and they deal with more mature topics than The Baby-Sitters Club typically covered.

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A Corner of the Universe (2003)

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This was the book that received the Newbery Honor. Hattie turns 12, and her uncle Adam returns home for the first time in ten years. Adam has schizophrenia and autism, and while the other adults struggle to deal with his view of the world, Hattie wants to be a friend.

What about you?

Have you read any of Ann M. Martin’s work?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

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Laurie Halse Anderson has been one of my favorite authors since I was in high school. I’ve read and re-read many of her books!

Born October 23, 1961, in Potsdam, New York, Anderson enjoyed writing and reading. She has a younger sister. She never saw herself as a writer. When she was a senior in high school, Anderson became an exchange student. She lived on a pig farm in Denmark for 13 months.

After high school, she attended community college. She graduated from Georgetown University in 1984, earning a bachelor’s degree in languages and linguistics.

Her first marriage was to Greg Anderson, and they had two daughters. Years after her divorce, she reconnected with her childhood sweetheart, Scott Larrabee. They married, combining their families. Scott also had two children, so they have four children between them.

Originally a freelance journalist at The Philadelphia Inquirer, she began writing children’s and young adult novels. Her first novel was published in 1996, titled Ndito Runs. She’s also written several works of non-fiction.

Several of her books have made The New York Times Bestseller List, and recognized by the American Library Association (ALA).

Speak (1999)

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Speak was my first introduction to Anderson and her writing. It’s an impressive book that I’ve experienced multiple times, both in personal reading and in several classes between high school and college. Melinda learns to persevere through a traumatic event, horrible rumors, and people attempting to ruin her reputation.

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Catalyst (2002)

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Catalyst is set in the same high school as Speak. Once again, Anderson did not disappoint with her realism.

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Prom (2005)

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This wasn’t my favorite book, but it was a good read about the drama surrounding high school prom.

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Twisted (2007)

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I remember reading this one only once. I’m adding this to my TBR!

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Wintergirls (2009)

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This was probably the most challenging book that I’ve read, aside from the first time I read Speak. She dives deep into mental illness, eating disorders, and friendship. I want to read it again.

What about you?

Have you read any of Laurie Halse Anderson’s work?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂