Laurie Halse Anderson!

To honor no particular release, but just because she's so darn awesome. Today we give you a post dedicated to Laurie Halse Anderson.

A Short Q&A With Laurie:

Why do you choose the topics that you address in your books?
I usually write about what frustrates me or makes me angry. Given how poorly teenagers are treated by the culture, I have a lot of material to work with.

How do you feel that Speak has helped inform children about the "unspeakable topics?

Speak shows the consequences of NOT speaking up and (I hope!) allows readers to ponder their own fears and struggles with talking about hard things. Learning how to discuss the "unspeakable" is one of the most powerful lessons you'll ever learn.

If someone suddenly threw a wad of twenty thousand dollars at you, how would you respond?
I sure hope I'd have the presence of mind to look around and see if the police were chasing this person. If not, I hope my reflexes are good enough to catch the cash. And then I would take a road trip to sample waffles across the United States.

If 'they' decided to make a movie of your life, which actress would you want to play you?
Sigourney Weaver

What's the most random question you can think of? Answer it.
Why do you like popcorn so much? I am a member of a little-known sub-species of Homo Sapiens that requires large quantities of butter and salt to survive.

Can you do the Time Warp again?
It's astounding, time is fleeting.... Madness takes its toll,

But listen closely, not for very much longer.... I've got to keep control

.....

.....

.....

IT'S JUST A JUMP TO THE LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(How did you guys know I LOVE that movie?!)

Lorena's Chains Review:

There’s nothing I like more than a good fantasy novel. Be it fairies, magic, alternate dimensions. You name it I’ll read it. But there’s only one thing I’ll drop a fantasy book for, and that’s if you give me one hell of a historical fiction. And that’s just what I got from Laurie Halse Anderson when I picked up her latest novel Chains.

Set in 18th century America, at the start of the Revolutionary War, Chains tells the story of a girl, who in a time of war, of pain, and of lies, wanted nothing more than to be free.

Orphaned at the age of 12, Isabel and her younger sister Ruth had never known life outside of slavery. They had, however been promised their freedom at the death of their master. But as the funeral’s pyre died out, they soon discovered it would not be so. Immediately after being sold to the cruelest of masters, to ensure her freedom Isabel is tossed in the midst of battle in the raging struggle between the British and Americans.

I would normally have shied away from this book… the pain… the loss, for me it can sometimes be too much to bear. But Chains always gave me hope, there was always that twist that kept reeling me in, and I wanted nothing more than to see Isabel and Ruth set free. Each character, their own separate universe, each as vibrantly depicted as the next, and just as complex. A strong plot as well, to match a vibrant cast. Never repetitive, never tiring. This book is defiantly not one to miss.

So I’ll just say it. If fictive historical novels are your thing. Go read it. And even if they aren't, I'd still strongly recommend it. Buy it, borrow it, check it out. It matters not, just pick it up. You won’t regret it.