Essential Authors for Children & Teens

Of the many millions of books written over the course of history, only a relatively small percentage have been deemed classics. Authors of classic literature are those who have penned works definitive of a style, movement, era, or ethos. Their works are timeless in message and scope. This essential volume chronicles the lives of many literary luminaries-including Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, and Virginia Woolf-examining their early histories, journeys to success, and greatest tomes.

While a number of genres-including mystery, romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, literary fiction, and thrillers, among others-comprise the broader category of fiction, few authors in those genres can claim popular crossover appeal. Culled from a variety of these genres, the authors profiled in this appealing volume have penned books that have done just that. Readers will be introduced to the lives and works of such writers as Judy Blume, Michael Chabon, Suzanne Collins, Dave Eggers, Yann Martel, Toni Morrison, and Kurt Vonnegut, learning how they achieved widespread acclaim and transcended literary conventions.

Of the many millions of books written over the course of history, only a relatively small percentage have been deemed classics. Authors of classic literature are those who have penned works definitive of a style, movement, era, or ethos. Their works are timeless in message and scope. This essential volume chronicles the lives of many literary luminaries-including Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, and Virginia Woolf-examining their early histories, journeys to success, and greatest tomes.

Fantastical realms, enchanted creatures, and imaginative technologies are but a few of the many elements that draw readers to the science fiction and fantasy genres of literature. Great science fiction and fantasy authors are skilled at blending the unfamiliar with the familiar, making their imaginative tales both grounded and, in some cases, prescient. Writers such as Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.K. Rowling, and J.R.R. Tolkien, to name a few, explore themes ranging from conformity and government control to the dual burden and blessing of advanced technology, challenging readers to reimagine the world they know. The lives of some of the most prolific and popular authors of these genres are surveyed in this compelling volume.

As with novelists and short story writers, the job of poets and playwrights is to elicit emotion and generate thought. The difference is that the latter authors do so while adhering to rules different than those governing standard prose works. Where poets create rich verses loaded with subtext, playwrights rely largely on dialogue to create poignant scenes that become all the more powerful when performed onstage. This captivating collection of biographies profiles some of the greatest writers of poetry and drama, from Aeschylus to Diane Ackerman, Sophocles to David Mamet.

Few stories have the power to stay with us the way the tales we hear in childhood do. Great children's book authors have at their disposal countless techniques to channel young imaginations and appeal directly to their audience's tender sensibilities. They craft colorful characters whose circumstances and actions resonate with readers in a way that carries through well into adulthood. The creators of some of the most whimsical, witty, thought-provoking, and powerful children's books of all time-including Lewis Carroll, Dr. Seuss, Beatrix Potter, Maurice Sendak, and Laura Ingalls Wilder, among many others-are presented in this exciting volume.

Mysteries, horror stories, and thrillers keep readers' hearts pounding and their bodies firmly planted on the edge of their seats. The authors who have provided some of the greatest literary adrenaline rushes in history are profiled in this book. These individuals challenge readers to solve crimes, delve into the supernatural, and face their deepest fears-all in the name of entertainment and edification. By examining the lives of many of the writers behind these popular works-including Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie, John Grisham, Stephanie Meyer, and Bram Stoker-readers will also learn about the evolution of these genres, as well as the impetus behind the creation of many best-selling titles therein.