“Every published writer suffers
through that first draft because most of the time, that's a disappointment.” – Rebecca Stead
Stead, born in Manhattan in January
of 1978, must write great “second” drafts because her works have all been winners. Her novel When You Reach Me won the
Newbery Medal, the oldest award in children's literature. She won the
Guardian Prize for best children's book released in Great Britain for her
book Liar & Spy; and her most recent book, The List of
Things That Will Not Change, has enjoyed great reviews and worldwide success.
Stead, who grew up in New York City
and still makes her home there, said she enjoyed writing as a child but later
felt that it was "impractical.” So,
she studied law instead. But after the
birth of her two children, she returned to writing, authoring First
Light, a book written to entertain her oldest son.
“I asked myself what it was that I
wanted from writing and where my connection with books began,” she said. “And
the answer to that question was definitely in childhood, because that's where
my connection with reading began.”
Her second book, When You Reach Me. has been ranked the 11th best
children’s novel of all time in a survey done by the School Library
Journal, and the Newbery judges noted, "Every scene, every nuance, every
word is vital both to character development and the progression of the mystery
that really is going to engage young readers and satisfy them.”
“A lot of my ideas for books come
from newspaper articles,” she said. “But I don't like to be actively looking
for ideas. I do try to write in ways
that reflect reality, and I think that reality is rarely simple.”
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