During her 18 years as a middle school teacher, Susan Campbell Bartoletti challenged herself as a writer by completing assignments along with her students. Today, Bartoletti aims to provide her audience with one thing all readers crave: a good story well told. AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

Meet the Author (AdLit.org)

Susan Campbell-Bartoletti (Hitler Youth)

As a child, Shannon Hale began writing books, mostly fantasy stories where she was the heroine. As an adult, her re-tellings and riffs on fairy tales, reach a new generation of kids less familiar with these classic stories. AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

Shannon Hale (Princess Academy)

The author of 100 Best Books for Children and 500 Great Books for Teens, Anita Silvey has devoted 35 years to promoting books that inspire children to become enthusiastic, lifelong readers. AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

Anita Silvey (500 Great Books for Teens)

Deborah Heiligman writes fiction and nonfiction for kids of all ages. She's published more than 26 books exploring topics as diverse as religious celebrations around the world, babies, and honeybees. AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

Deborah Heligman (Charles and Emma)

Elliott grew up just outside D.C., and came of age during the Vietnam War protests and Watergate, so she was very aware of history in the making. But her love of history came from listening to elderly ladies discuss their lives. AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

L.M. Elliot (Under a War-Torn Sky)

Sherri Smith writes novels that feature strong female protagonists dealing with issues of racial and ethnic identity. One critic described her work as a gumbo of cultural collisions and discoveries. AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

Sherri Smith (Flygirl)

Lois Lowry is the highly acclaimed author of more than 30 books for young people. Over the years, she has received numerous awards, including two Newbery Medals. Lowry has written such a wide range of books that her body of work cannot be categorized easily. Her genres range from contemporary fiction to historical fiction to fantasy to autobiographical. Her audiences range from elementary school children all the way up to young adults. Some of Lowry's books are light-hearted, but others deal with serious and somber topics. Her most well-known novel, The Giver, is set in a future dystopia where sameness and conformity rule. AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

Lois Lowry (The Giver)

Jack Gantos' interesting life has provided the raw material for many of his books. The Jack Henry middle-grade fiction series was based on Gantos' own adventures as a boy, and the award-winning Joey Pigza books resulted from Gantos' interactions with children with ADHD. Hole in My Life, a book for teens, tells the true story of the time Gantos spent 18 months in prison. AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

Jack Gantos (Joey Pigza)

Christopher Paul Curtis did not become a published author until he was in his 40's. Before his first novel was published, he spent much of his adult life working in an automobile factory. Work at the factory became so unbearable that Curtis began having semi-hallucinations at night of car doors and assembly lines moving through his bedroom. Fortunately, Curtis' fate changed dramatically when his first two novels received some of the most prestigious awards in all of children's literature. AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

Christopher Paul Curtis (Bud, Not Buddy)

At first glance, it may appear that Kate DiCamillo waltzed onto the children's book scene and experienced nothing but success. Her first published novel, Because of Winn-Dixie, won a Newbery Honor in 2001. That book became a Hollywood film. In 2004 DiCamillo's book, The Tale of Despereaux, received the coveted Newbery Medal. But Kate DiCamillo's success did not happen overnight. For roughly a decade, before the public knew her name, DiCamillo worked odd jobs, submitted manuscripts, and collected nearly 400 rejection letters. "I decided a long time ago," DiCamillo says, "that I didn't have to be talented. I just had to be persistent." AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

Kate DiCamillo (Because of Winn-Dixie)

Meet the authors behind award-winning young adult literature! These interviews are available from AdLit.org. To see a transcript from these interviews, to find out more about each author, or to watch the full interview, see AdLit' Books & Authors section. AdLit.org is a national multimedia project offering information and resources to the parents and educators of struggling adolescent readers and writers. For more interviews with young adult authors, visit us at www.AdLit.org, a national education service of public television station WETA. Funding is provided by grants from Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Ann B. and Thomas L. Friedman Family Foundation.

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Meet the Author (AdLit.org)

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