Laurie Halse Anderson

A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year in high school.

Eighteen-year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend's death from anorexia as she struggles with the same disorder.

"Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless--an outcast--because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her.

Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and advocates for, survivors of sexual assault. Now, inspired by her fans and enraged by how little in our culture has changed since her groundbreaking novel Speak was first published twenty years ago, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and...

Relates how Sarah Hale, a magazine editor and author, persuaded President Lincoln to transform Thanksgiving Day into a national holiday

Brenna, Maggie, and Zoe go to Florida to visit a manatee rescue center, where they learn about these endangered marine mammals.

Seeing Jane's dog, Yum-Yum, help cheer up children in a cancer ward makes Zoe think about having her puppy, Sneakers, trained to do therapy, too, especially when Yum-Yum becomes very ill.

Brenna, one of the volunteers at Dr. Mac's Place animal clinic, is horrified to find a dog caught in a trap in the local nature preserve, but subsequent events prove that every story has two sides.

"Speak up for yourself―we want to know what you have to say."
From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether....

The two-time National Book Award finalist (Speak and Chains) talks with Maureen Johnson (13 Little Blue Envelopes) about the compelling novels that have earned her numerous awards and fans of all ages. Her latest release, Forge (the sequel to Chains) is a gripping story filled with plot twists and unforgettable characters.