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.”

For years, Laurie had loved writing, but had considered it little more than a hobby. It eventually dawned on her that people would pay her to write and she became a freelance reporter. She also began to write all types of books and accumulated several inches of rejections letters. In 1996, her first book, Ndito Runs, was published. Later that year, Turkey Pox came out. Ndito was inspired by an NPR story about Kenyan Olympic marathon runners who grew up running miles to and from school every day. Turkey Pox was inspired by Meredith, who actually came down with chicken pox on Thanksgiving, though no snow plow drivers came to the family's rescue. In 1998, No Time For Mother's Day was published, featuring the same characters as Turkey Pox.

Now, Laurie lives in northern New York, with her childhood sweetheart, now husband, Scot. She has four wonderful children and a neurotic dog, all of whom she dearly loves. When not enjoying her family and her large garden, she spends countless hours writing in a woodland cottage designed and built just for that purpose by her Beloved Husband. She also likes to train for marathons, hike in the mountains, and try to coax tomatoes out of the rocky soil in her backyard.

Check out her books!