The Greater Rochester

Teen Book Festival

"To foster a community effort to celebrate and promote reading by connecting teens and authors."

Laurie Halse Anderson                     Book List

Born up on Potsdam’s chilly Northern New York frontier, author Laurie Halse (halt-zz) Anderson surely knows how to deal with snow.

Her books, at any rate, have survived the storms, with her 1999 novel Speak receiving award after award- a National Book Award Finalist, a Printz Honor book, a Booklist “Top10 First Novels of 1999”, and more.

Anderson, a graduate of Onondaga Community College as well as Georgetown University, worked as a freelance reporter before beginning to write novels and picture books in earnest. She now resides in Mexico, NY with her husband, two daughters, and stepchildren.

Her success continues with her latest book, Prom, released in March of 2005. Prom received nominations for YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers, as well as recognition as a New York Times Bestseller.