Lauren Myracle

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Lauren Myracle
Myracle at the 2012 LA Times Festival of Books
Myracle at the 2012 LA Times Festival of Books
Born (1969-05-15) May 15, 1969 (age 52)
Brevard, North Carolina
OccupationNovelist
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A.); Colorado State University (M.A.); Vermont College (MFA)
GenreYoung adult fiction
Website
Official website

Lauren Myracle (born May 15, 1969) is an American writer of young adult fiction. She has written many novels, including the three best-selling "IM" books, ttyl, ttfn and l8r, g8r. Her book Thirteen Plus One was released May 4, 2010.

Early life[]

She was born in Brevard, North Carolina, and is the oldest of three sisters and has three older brothers. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where she attended Trinity School and The Westminster Schools.[1][2] Myracle earned a BA in English and Psychology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

After graduation, she worked for some time as a middle-school teacher in Gwinnett County, Georgia, and participated in the JET Programme in Japan.[3] Myracle later earned an MA in English from Colorado State University, where she taught for two years and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College.[1]

Career[]

Myracle's first novel, Kissing Kate, was released in 2003. Her middle-grade novel, Eleven, came out 2004, and Twelve came out in 2007. Myracle published The Fashion Disaster that Changed My Life in 2005. Thirteen was released in March 2008. She came out with the book Thirteen Plus One in 2010. She also wrote Rhymes with Witches and Bliss, which came out in 2008, is its prequel. She also has a book entitled How to Be Bad with E. Lockhart and Sarah Mlynowski.

The Internet Girls series comprises ttyl (talk to you later), ttfn (ta ta for now), and l8r, g8r (later, gator). It features three friends—Zoe, Maddie, and Angela—who experience typical high school drama: boys, drugs, alcohol, parties, driving, and college prep. The novels ttyl and ttfn were both New York Times bestsellers, and ttyl was the first novel to be written entirely in instant messages.[3] Most of Myracle's novels take place in Atlanta, Georgia and are inspired by her childhood friends and experiences, and her large diverse family.

In November, 2011, she published Shine, which is set in rural western North Carolina and deals with a young girl's search for the perpetrators of a hate crime against her gay friend.

Her latest work, released in August, 2013, is entitled . According to Publishers Weekly, the coming of age story "is a rewarding account of two young people whose insecurities and personal histories weigh on the romance they work to build with each other."[4]

Controversy[]

According to the American Library Association, Myracle's books were the most challenged books of 2009 and 2011.[5] Her books continue to be challenged in school libraries, usually for scenes of sexuality, homosexuality, or alcohol use. Scholastic Books nearly refused to carry Luv Ya Bunches at its national school book fair events because the book features lesbian mothers.[6] Scholastic recanted its initial decision after a large internet outcry.[7]

The Internet Girls series has often landed on the American Library Association's list of banned and challenged books. The books received the number seven spot in 2007, the number three spot in 2008, the number one spot in 2009 and 2011.[8] Challengers content the book due to offensive language and sexually explicit content, as well as being unsuited for the age group and going against a religious viewpoint.[8] Ultimately, the Internet Girls series became the ninth-most banned book between 2000 and 2019.[9][10]

Myracle is highly critical of adults attempting to keep books away from teenagers, believing that kids are smart enough to understand the message in books and learn their lessons. Regarding her own children's reading, she says "As a mom, I want my kids to read any book they want! I want them to read."[11]

Awards and honors[]

Her first novel, Kissing Kate, was selected an Allie McNamara ALA Best Books for Young Adults for the year 2004.[12][13] Booklist selected it as one of the "Top Ten Youth Romances" of the year, as well as one of the "Top Ten Books by New Writers".[citation needed]

Rhymes with Witches is included in Anita Silvey's 500 Great Books for Teens[14] and was nominated for "Best Books for Young Adults" by the American Library Association.[3]

National Book Foundation controversy[]

In October, 2011, a controversy occurred when the National Book Foundation listed Shine as one of the five finalists for its annual National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Then it announced a mistake: Chime was the intended finalist; it would make an exception and consider six finalists.[15][16] Shortly thereafter, NBF asked her to withdraw Shine from consideration and Myracle agreed to do so.[17]

Published works[]

Series[]

The Winnie Years (2004-2010)[]

  • Ten (2010)
  • Eleven (2004)
  • Twelve (2007)
  • Thirteen (2008)
  • Thirteen Plus One (2009)

Internet Girls (2005-2014)[]

Flower Power (2009-2013)[]

  • Luv Ya Bunches (2009)
  • Violet in Bloom (2010)
  • Oopsy Daisy (2011)
  • Awesome Blossom (2013)

The Life of Ty (2013-2015)[]

  • Penguin Problems (2013)
  • Non-Random Acts of Kindness (2014)
  • Friends of a Feather (2015)

Upside-Down Magic (2015-2019)[]

This series was co-written by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and E. Lockhart.

  • Upside Down Magic (2015)
  • Sticks & Stones (2016)
  • Showing Off (2016)
  • Dragon Overnight (2018)
  • Weather or Not (2018)
  • The Big Shrink (2019)

Wishing Day (2016-2018)[]

  • Wishing Day (2016)
  • The Forgetting Spell (2017)
  • The Backward Season (2018)

Stand-Alone Novels, Short Stories, and Comics[]

  • Kissing Kate (2003)
  • The Fashion Disaster That Changed My Life (2005)
  • “Such a Pretty Face,” published in the short story anthology Four Summer Stories: Fireworks (2007)
  • Prom Nights from Hell, co-written by Lauren Myracle, Meg Cabot, Kim Harrison, Michele Jaffe, and Stephenie Meyer (2007)
  • How to Be Sad, cowritten by Lauren Myracle, Sarah Mlynowski, and E. Lockhart (2008)
  • Bliss (2008)
  • Let It Snow, cowritten by Lauren Myracle, Maureen Johnson, and John Green (2008)
  • Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks (2009)
  • Shine (2009)
  • The Infinite Moment of Us (2013)
  • Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale, a graphic novel in the DC Ink line, based on Catwoman/Selina Kyle (2019). This book was a 2019 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Graphic Novels and Comics.[18]
  • Victor and Nora A Gotham Love Story, a graphic novel in the DC Ink line, based on Mr. Freeze and his wife, Nora Kumar (2020)

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lauren Myracle (1969–) Biography - Personal, Addresses, Career, Member, Honors Awards, Writings, Sidelights - Review, Novel, Kate, and Ttyl - JRank Articles". Biography.jrank.org. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  2. ^ [1] Archived July 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Children's Literature - Meet Lauren Myracle". Childrenslit.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  4. ^ "The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle | 9781419707933 | Hardcover | Barnes & Noble". Barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  5. ^ "Frequently challenged books of the 21st century | American Library Association". Ala.org. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
  6. ^ "ScholasticCensors Myracle's 'Luv Ya Bunches' from Book Fairs". Schoollibraryjournal.com. 2009-10-21. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
  7. ^ "Scholastic to Sell 'Luv Ya Bunches' at Middle School Book Fairs". Schoollibraryjournal.com. 2009-10-30. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (2013-03-26). "Top 10 Most Challenged Books Lists". Banned & Challenged Books. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  9. ^ American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (2020-09-09). "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019". Banned & Challenged Books. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  10. ^ American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (2013-03-26). "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009". Banned & Challenged Books. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  11. ^ Abigail Pesta (April 11, 2012). "Should This Woman's Books Be Banned?". Daily Beast. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  12. ^ American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (2007-07-30). "Best Books for Young Adults Annotated List 2004". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  13. ^ American Library Association (2010-04-04). "Kissing Kate". www.ala.org. Retrieved 2021-03-06.
  14. ^ Silvey, Anita (3 October 2006). 500 Great Books for Teens - Anita Silvey - Google Boeken. ISBN 0547523815. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
  15. ^ Losowsky, Andrew (2011-10-12). "Wrong Title Announced At Presentation Of National Book Awards 2011 Finalists". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  16. ^ "National Book Awards mixup: The finalist who wasn't - The Reliable Source". The Washington Post. 2011-10-18. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  17. ^ Bosman, Julie (2011-10-17). "She Coulda Been a Contender: National Book Award Finalist Withdraws After Mistake". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
  18. ^ "Under the Moon". Goodreads. Retrieved 2021-03-06.

External links[]

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