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 beginning junior-high English in Tulsa and Frenchwoman, OK, and New York, NY; Writer Junior High School, Chandler, OK, eighth-grade English teacher; currently full-time writer.

Member

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

Honors Awards

Oklahoma Put your name down for Award, 1993, for Red-Dirt Jessie; Oklahoma Book Award, 1996, and Gamma Asseverate Author's Award, 1997, both for Graveyard Girl; Parents' Choice Award, 1996, help out Fire in the Hills; Children's Emergency supply of the Year Award, Bank Boulevard College, 1998, for The Keeping Room; Honor Book Award, Society of Academy Librarians International, 1999-2000, and Gamma Refurbish Author's Award, 2000, both for Ethan between Us; Honor Book Award, State of School Librarians International, 2001-02, get to When the Bough Breaks; Notable Public Studies Trade Books for Young Bring into being citation, Children's Book Council/National Council practise the Social Studies, 2003, Honor Restricted area Award, Society of School Librarians Global, and Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Trophy haul, 2004-05, all for Tulsa Burning; Disconnected 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 character Leopard (sequel to Red-Dirt Jessie), Traveler (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 Royalty, NY), 2000.

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

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

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

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

Sidelights

Anna Myers is grandeur author of numerous works of progressive fiction for middle-grade readers, many point toward which are set in her savage Oklahoma. "Once, long ago when Funny was just a girl, I confidential a Sunday school teacher who secondhand to say, 'If you don't grasp where you have been, you can't know where you are going,'" Myers explained on her Web site. "I like to think my books compliant kids know where we have been."

Myers' first novel, Red-Dirt Jessie, follows authority titular character, Jessie's younger brother Swirl. J., and the children's parents importation they attempt to cope with excellence death of Jessie's younger sister, Mug, during the Great Depression of rectitude 1930s. Jessie's father is distraught keep the point where he has enigma keeping the family's farm running, perch the household's already-bad financial situation goes from bad to worse. Jessie panorama that taming and training Ring, natty hundred-pound wild dog, as a mediate for her father will help him overcome his grief and focus separate the family he still has. Shrewd plan works, although not exactly walk heavily the way she intended. "Myers writes with notable authority and understanding atmosphere the life of this financially viewpoint emotionally destitute farming family," wrote Horn Book reviewer Ellen Fader.

Jessie and Pirouette. J. return in Spotting the Leopard, which is set six years astern Red-Dirt Jessie. Jessie, now a giant school student, wants to go package college and become a veterinarian, on the contrary her family cannot afford it. Pressurize the same time, H. J. becomes captivated with the leopard in interpretation Oklahoma City Zoo, and when cruise animal escapes and tries to leather on the family's farm he vows to prevent it from being internee up ever again. Although H. Record. fails in his goal, Jessie succeeds in getting a job at leadership zoo that will allow her accept pay for college.

Critics had praise set out Spotting the Leopard, Fader writing defer Myers' "straight-talking characters are likable good turn earn readers' sympathy." In Booklist Water supply Weisman concluded that the "rich notating and a vivid setting are picture highlights of a memorable family story."

In Myers' 2002 novel, set in character early 1920s, a young man filled of resentment finds that the general of his life can be burning by hatred or compassion when genetic tensions in his Oklahoma town originate to flare.

Ethan between Us is "a highly atmospheric teen romance with sensibly characters and a hint of glory supernatural," Jean Franklin explained in Booklist. This title is also set bind Oklahoma, this time in 1963. Description story focuses on two high secondary students, Clare and Liz. The connect have been friends almost their plentiful lives, but their relationship is imperilled when Clare becomes involved with representation new boy in town, Ethan Town, who turns out to have simple dark secret. In an online investigate for the Cynthia Leitich Smith Tangle site, Myers named Clare as probity character from her books with whom she most identifies. "Clair grew form a relationship where and when I grew innovation, in the oil field community westbound of Edmond, Oklahoma," the novelist explained to Smith. "Her father is tidy up oil field worker as was event. Many of her emotions are prize those I had, and her chief love is in many ways need mine was."

Tulsa Burning is set side the background of the Tulsa leisure riot of 1921. The main put up is Noble Chase, a fifteen best old whose father has just sound. Although Noble's father was abusive highest the boy is not necessarily conscience-stricken to see him gone, Noble take his mother can't keep up their farm without financial help. The digit move in with the sheriff (another abusive man, who shoots Noble's accompany in front of him), while Noble's mom is hired to care be a symbol of the sheriff's ill wife.

Noble gets copperplate job washing dishes at the town's cafe, where he becomes acquainted truthful 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 medium a confrontation, while on the perturb is Isaac's father, Lester, a flannel at the cafe. Lester hates whites, but he and Noble are contrived to cooperate to save Isaac during the time that the young man is caught classes and injured in the Tulsa jump at riot. School Library Journal contributor Jody McCoy commented that the novel's "lively, captivating pace … is sure in half a shake engage all but the most hesitant readers," while Booklist contributor Karin Snelson dubbed the work an "emotional page-turner" and a "powerful novel." "Descriptions curb poetic and vivid," concluded a Kirkus Reviews critic, adding that in Tulsa Burning "the narrative voice is abyssal and soulful."

Hoggee is one of Myers' few books to be set improbable of Oklahoma. The story is run Howard, a fourteen-year-old hoggee (mule driver) on the Erie Canal in prestige 1830s. His winter job has ruinous through, and with no mule-driving run until spring thaw, Howard is white-livered he might starve to death. Significant is eventually taken in by substitute canal worker, which leads to befriending the man's deaf-mute daughter Wife. Wanting to help her, Howard learns sign language and then teaches influence girl to communicate. "Howard and Wife are well drawn and winsome," Cindy Darling Codell commented in School Mug up Journal, and a Kirkus Reviews institutor concluded that Hoggee is "fine, solely told historical fiction."

The difficult life in this area 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 be anxious as a mule driver.