Behold, The YALSA 2019 Great Graphic Novels for Teens List!

We were delighted to learn this week that Speak: The Graphic Novel, illustrated by the amazing Emily Carroll, is on YALSA’s 2019 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list! Big thanks go out to the selection committee from Laurie for including it, and all of us here at Team Madwoman In the Forest highly encourage you to check the full list out — it’s an incredible group of titles.

SHOUT Preorder News (Plus Swag)

As you know, Laurie is hitting the road for the publication of SHOUT, and many of those events include a book as part of the ticket. We’ve got good news for those who can’t make an event but still want a signed copy — Children’s Book World will be handling signed preorders!

If you preorder through them, you’ll get a signed copy of SHOUT plus a limited edition tote bag. In addition, for every preorder of SHOUT by Laurie Halse Anderson received before 3/11, Penguin Young Readers will donate $1 to RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization (up to $5,000). So you can get a signed book, get some swag, and do some good all in one. Full details are right here.

SHOUT Together With Laurie On Tour!

We’re so excited to announce the details of Laurie’s tour this March and April! We hope you’ll join us to SHOUT together — details are on the Events page, and the full tour plus details is available right here.

Please note: due to the material Laurie will be discussing, these events are recommended for ages 13+. Most of them are ticketed, so do check out the links and “More info” for each event.

Behind the Scenes: A Trip to NYC

As you can tell from her Events page, Laurie’s been traveling all over tarnation doing school visits, conferences, conventions, you name it. She’s also been hard at work on writing the Wonder Woman graphic novel for DC, plus a few other Secret Projects I am not at liberty to discuss, or someone will revoke my author assistant card! But in there, she found time for a quick trip to NYC to visit her publishing team at Penguin and do some pre-pub work on SHOUT, and I thought y’all might enjoy a peek behind the scenes of Author Life.

First up was a media luncheon, at which she got to sit and chat with folks from the press about SHOUT, the #MeToo movement, the state of the world in general, and why she’s hopeful now of all times. Being an author is not nearly as glamorous as people think, but this is one of the few times that authors live that Fancy Life — good food, good conversation, and a gorgeous display of her book!

a stack of galleys of SHOUT displayed next to a vase of white roses and ferns
Photo credit: Jenn Northington

 

Then it was off to a recording studio where she did a video interview, read from SHOUT, and recorded some special messages for booksellers and librarians. You’ll probably be seeing them online in the coming months, so keep an eye out!

Laurie, sitting in a chair and facing a recording team. Their backs are to us. On the left is a large light, then a young woman with dark hair seated talking to Laurie, then a man wearing headphones bent over a camera screen.
Photo credit: Jenn Northington

Laurie stands against a wall painted in stripes of dark beige and white, wearing a green sweater and gray pants. Several cameras are set up around her, and she's about to read from SHOUT.
Photo credit: Jenn Northington

 

She also got some new author photos taking, which you’ll also be seeing around in the coming months, but here’s an out-take just for you:

Laurie from the waste up. She's standing in front of trees and she's wearing her Got Consent? t-shirt, smiling at the camera.
Photo credit: Randy Fontanilla

 

Reminder: You can pre-order SHOUT from your local indie!

–Jenn

Laurie in the New York Times

Laurie is profiled alongside several other wonderful YA authors in this thoughtful New York Times piece by Julia Jacobs, “Using Young Adult Novels to Make Sense of #MeToo.”

Ms. Anderson, the novel’s author, said books can offer teenagers the language to understand an unfamiliar issue. In her conversations with thousands of teenage readers, she said, it was clear that many had previously lacked the language to understand what happened to Melinda, her main character — or even what happened in their own lives.

“So many kids have come to me and said, ‘I didn’t realize what he did to me,’” she said.

Read the full piece here!