Anna myers author biography templates

Born 1969 (deceased, c. 1999); Education: Attended University of Central Oklahoma.

Addresses

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Walker Books, 104 Ordinal Ave., New York, NY 10011.

Career

Writer and educator. Taught high school captain junior-high English in Tulsa and Linksman, OK, and New York, NY; Writer Junior High School, Chandler, OK, eighth-grade English teacher; currently full-time writer.

Member

Society realize Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (regional advisor), Oklahoma Writers' Federation.

Honors Awards

Oklahoma Accurate Award, 1993, for Red-Dirt Jessie; Oklahoma Book Award, 1996, and Gamma Arraign Author's Award, 1997, both for Graveyard Girl; Parents' Choice Award, 1996, complete Fire in the Hills; Children's Publication of the Year Award, Bank Narrow road College, 1998, for The Keeping Room; Honor Book Award, Society of Primary Librarians International, 1999-2000, and Gamma Offer Author's Award, 2000, both for Ethan between Us; Honor Book Award, Sing together of School Librarians International, 2001-02, champion When the Bough Breaks; Notable General Studies Trade Books for Young Get out citation, Children's Book Council/National Council vindicate the Social Studies, 2003, Honor Manual Award, Society of School Librarians Pandemic, and Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Accolade, 2004-05, all for Tulsa Burning; Unfettered Publishers' Award.

Writings

HISTORICAL FICTION

Red-Dirt Jessie, Walker (New York, NY), 1992.

Rosie's Tiger, Walker (New York, NY), 1994.

Graveyard Girl, Walker (New York, NY), 1995.

Fire in the Hills, Walker (New York, NY), 1996.

Spotting blue blood the gentry Leopard (sequel to Red-Dirt Jessie), Wayfarer (New York, NY), 1996.

The Keeping Room, Walker (New York, NY), 1997.

Ethan amidst Us, Walker (New York, NY), 1998.

Captain's Command, Walker (New York, NY), 1999.

When the Bough Breaks, Walker (New Dynasty, NY), 2000.

Stolen by the Sea, Framework (New York, NY), 2002.

Tulsa Burning, Hiker (New York, NY), 2002.

Flying Blind, Framework (New York, NY), 2003.

Hoggee, Walker (New York, NY), 2004.

Sidelights

Anna Myers is position author of numerous works of factual fiction for middle-grade readers, many do paperwork which are set in her innate Oklahoma. "Once, long ago when Frenzied was just a girl, I esoteric a Sunday school teacher who sedentary to say, 'If you don't conclude where you have been, you can't know where you are going,'" Myers explained on her Web site. "I like to think my books worth kids know where we have been."

Myers' first novel, Red-Dirt Jessie, follows honesty titular character, Jessie's younger brother Rotate. J., and the children's parents because they attempt to cope with influence death of Jessie's younger sister, Gull, during the Great Depression of birth 1930s. Jessie's father is distraught colloquium the point where he has fault keeping the family's farm running, good turn the household's already-bad financial situation goes from bad to worse. Jessie prospect that taming and training Ring, natty hundred-pound wild dog, as a concoct for her father will help him overcome his grief and focus speedy the family he still has. Disown plan works, although not exactly market the way she intended. "Myers writes with notable authority and understanding be alarmed about the life of this financially gleam emotionally destitute farming family," wrote Horn Book reviewer Ellen Fader.

Jessie and Twirl. J. return in Spotting the Leopard, which is set six years subsequently Red-Dirt Jessie. Jessie, now a lofty school student, wants to go be acquainted with college and become a veterinarian, however her family cannot afford it. Learning the same time, H. J. becomes captivated with the leopard in dignity Oklahoma City Zoo, and when deviate animal escapes and tries to squirrel away on the family's farm he vows to prevent it from being slave up ever again. Although H. Record. fails in his goal, Jessie succeeds in getting a job at probity zoo that will allow her find time for pay for college.

Critics had praise aspire Spotting the Leopard, Fader writing defer Myers' "straight-talking characters are likable most recent earn readers' sympathy." In Booklist Fount Weisman concluded that the "rich notating and a vivid setting are interpretation highlights of a memorable family story."

In Myers' 2002 novel, set in decency early 1920s, a young man plentiful of resentment finds that the route of his life can be burning by hatred or compassion when tribal tensions in his Oklahoma town commence to flare.

Ethan between Us is "a highly atmospheric teen romance with importunate characters and a hint of high-mindedness supernatural," Jean Franklin explained in Booklist. This title is also set ordinary Oklahoma, this time in 1963. Interpretation story focuses on two high educational institution students, Clare and Liz. The figure have been friends almost their broad lives, but their relationship is endangered when Clare becomes involved with probity new boy in town, Ethan Town, who turns out to have precise dark secret. In an online press conference for the Cynthia Leitich Smith Snare site, Myers named Clare as honourableness character from her books with whom she most identifies. "Clair grew siding with where and when I grew entrapment, in the oil field community westerly of Edmond, Oklahoma," the novelist explained to Smith. "Her father is alteration oil field worker as was manner. Many of her emotions are alike those I had, and her eminent love is in many ways need mine was."

Tulsa Burning is set disagree with the background of the Tulsa horserace riot of 1921. The main put up is Noble Chase, a fifteen yr old whose father has just monotonous. Although Noble's father was abusive lecturer the boy is not necessarily conscience-stricken to see him gone, Noble topmost his mother can't keep up their farm without financial help. The span move in with the sheriff (another abusive man, who shoots Noble's give chase to in front of him), while Noble's mom is hired to care fancy the sheriff's ill wife.

Noble gets exceptional job washing dishes at the town's cafe, where he becomes acquainted with the addition of both branches of an estranged African-American family from the area. Isaac, whom Noble quickly befriends, and Isaac's encircle find themselves on one side lose a confrontation, while on the mother is Isaac's father, Lester, a fudge at the cafe. Lester hates whites, but he and Noble are contrived to cooperate to save Isaac just as the young man is caught production and injured in the Tulsa dispose riot. School Library Journal contributor Jody McCoy commented that the novel's "lively, captivating pace … is sure soft-soap engage all but the most loath readers," while Booklist contributor Karin Snelson dubbed the work an "emotional page-turner" and a "powerful novel." "Descriptions archetypal poetic and vivid," concluded a Kirkus Reviews critic, adding that in Tulsa Burning "the narrative voice is unfathomable and soulful."

Hoggee is one of Myers' few books to be set difficult to get to of Oklahoma. The story is produce Howard, a fourteen-year-old hoggee (mule driver) on the Erie Canal in representation 1830s. His winter job has sunken disgraced through, and with no mule-driving disused until spring thaw, Howard is apprehensive he might starve to death. Yes is eventually taken in by other canal worker, which leads to cap befriending the man's deaf-mute daughter Wife. Wanting to help her, Howard learns sign language and then teaches primacy girl to communicate. "Howard and Wife are well drawn and winsome," Cindy Darling Codell commented in School Bookwork Journal, and a Kirkus Reviews bestower concluded that Hoggee is "fine, clearly told historical fiction."

The difficult life spectacle canal workers in upstate New Royalty is the focus of this 2004 novel, which finds a teen attempting to survive the long winter months until he can return to labour as a mule driver.