Short Bio

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous national and state awards, as well as international recognition. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists. Laurie was honored with the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award given by YALSA division of the American Library Association for her “significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature…”.  Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in Northern New York, where she likes to watch the snow fall as she writes. You can follow her adventures on Twitter, twitter.com/halseanderson, and on her website, www.madwomanintheforest.com.

For a long bio, please go to the Laurie page.
To download a PDF version go here.

Publisher Information

To talk about her historical books:
Laura Antonacci at Simon and Schuster Publicity

To talk about her contemporary novels:
Emily Heddleson Penguin Putnam Publicity

Honors

• New York Times Bestselling Author
• Two-time National Book Award nominee
• 2010 School Library Month Spokesperson for American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of American Library Association (ALA)
• Amazon Blog “Omnivoracious” – One of Eight Influential Young Adult Writers of the Decade (2000-2009)
• 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award, given by the American Library Association for significant and lasting achievement in young adult literature
• 2008 Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) Award, given to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature.
• 2006 Onondaga Community College Alumni Faces Award
• 2004 Fayetteville-Manlius Hall of Distinction
• 2002 Free Library of Philadelphia/Drexel University Children’s Literature Citation

Education

• 1975-78 – Fayetteville-Manlius High School, Manlius, NY
• 1978-79 – Høng Studenter og HF-Kursus, Høng, Denmark (American Field Service exchange student)
• 1981 – A.A., Liberal Arts, Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, NY
• 1984 – B.S.L.L., Linguistics, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
  

Work

• 1989 – 1998 – Freelance Reporter and Writer
• 1998 – today – Full-time author and speaker
  

Memberships

• Authors Guild
• Organization of American Historians
• Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
• Association of Booksellers for Children
  

Personal

Mother of four: Stephanie, Jessica, Meredith, and Christian. Wife of one, Scot Larrabee.
Passions: running, sleep, American history, and advocating for children and teenagers.