The book is expected to be released next spring.īauer said she hopes her books, while humorous, help 'provide a small path through the challenges' of growing up. In 'Hope Was Here,' for example, Hope is a waitress, while Jenna in 'Rules of the Road' sells shoes and Ivy in 'Backwater' is a genealogy expert.īauer is now at work on her next novel and, unlike in most of her previous books, the protagonist is a boy. In each book, the protagonist has a job or passion that gives the story extra interest.

'Hope Was Here' also has spent the past five weeks on The New York Times children's best-seller list.Įach Bauer book features a resilient protagonist dealing with painful issues, often the result of an absent and/or alcoholic father (mirroring Bauer's own experience). So Bauer fans weren't surprised that 'Hope Was Here' won a Newbery Honor, and many critics expect that she'll eventually capture the top award, the Newbery Medal.įor now, Bauer herself is content to bask in the glory of winning the Newbery Honor, plus the Christopher Medal, a literary prize awarded by the Christophers, a nonprofit organization rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and community. Her fourth novel, 'Rules of the Road,' received rave reviews from critics and kids and won the 1998 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. The result was 'Squashed.' This novel about a girl who teaches herself and her father about self-confidence as she grows a championship pumpkin won the Delacorte Press Prize for a First Young Adult Novel in 1992.īuoyed by her success, Bauer kept writing and gathered a reputation as an up-and-coming author. To appease this presumptuous imaginary person, Bauer began writing a novel with Ellie as her main protagonist. Then, in 1987, she was nearly killed in an auto accident, and her life changed dramatically.ĭuring her lengthy recuperation, Bauer kept hearing the voice of an overweight teenager named Ellie in her head. After high school, she attended college for a while, then took a series of jobs in advertising and sales, got married and gave birth to a daughter. In fact, it was a near-death experience that inspired Bauer to begin a second career as a young-adult author. If I ever had to write a totally serious book, I think I would go screaming into the darkness.'

'Make me care, and make me laugh - both are very important to me. Bauer, 49, said she is always on the lookout for the intersection between serious issues and humor.

Thwonk by joan bauer