CRH

DEAR AUTHOR: LETTERS OF HOPE

Edited by Joan F. Kaywell
Foreword by Catherine Ryan Hyde

To millions of kids, the books they read are more than entertainment—they are mirrors to hold up to their own lives. And the creators of those books are more than just writers—they are mentors, confidants, friends, sometimes the only ones who understand. There is often an unspoken, unseen bond between an author and his or her readers. Dear Author: Letters of Hope brings this bond to light for the whole world to see and celebrate.

What better way to honor the relationship between writer and reader, fact and fiction, character and real kid than this compilation of letters, based on real fan mail to today’s top YA authors, and the authors’ reactions to that mail. Catherine Ryan Hyde provides the foreword, and Laurie Halse Anderson, Chris Crutcher, Jerry Spinelli, Christopher Paul Curtis, and many more respond to this intimate mix of heartbreaking and heartwarming letters—and the result is a real glimpse into the hearts of kids today, and the writers who have changed their lives. It’s nothing short of inspirational.

Philomel Books
a division of Penguin Young Readers Group
345 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com/youngreaders
000
Manufactured in China

Joan F. Kaywell is a Full Professor of English Education at the University of South Florida, where she has won several teaching awards. She is passionate about assisting pre-service and practicing teachers in discovering ways to improve literacy and believes that books save lives; she’s living proof! It is her hope that those who read this book will find an author that “speaks” to them and then reads the books listed. Dr. Kaywell advocates reading as a healthy escape from life’s challenges and often says, “There’s hope in a book!”

She donates her time extensively to the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and its Florida affiliate (FCTE): She is Past President of NCTE’s Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) and is currently serving as its Membership Secretary.

Dr. Kaywell is published in several journals, regularly reviews young adult novels for The ALAN Review, and has edited two series of textbooks. Dear Author: Letters of Hope, is her first trade book.