Laurie Halse Anderson

This course has facilitated opportunities to experience novels of all different types, as well as different styles of teaching. I have had the opportunity to look critically at different theories, as well as a variety of hands on activities. With the culmination of the semester, I have come to the conclusion that students must learn to engage with literature in a meaningful way so they can apply that skill more broadly in life and use it to think critically about government and societal…

midst of chaos, Tillie is able to keep her dream alive by focusing on her love for science. Tillie displays resilient traits by recognizing the beauty of science and putting all her energy in the upcoming science fair. Speak, written by Laurie Halse Anderson is another coming of age story about an adolescent girl who spirals into a deep after having to deal with an extremely traumatic event. The summer before her freshman year…

The Civil War: Introduction to Slavery in Literature Albert Camus, a Nobel Prize winner in Literature, once said, “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.” This quote accurately demonstrates what I wish to reveal about novels and how incorporating them into all aspects of learning can better enhance student learning. A good realistic fiction novel has the ability to pull some readers in more than a lesson ever could. However, literature does much more than just drawing the reader in…

scourge… He kept vigils, likewise, night after night, sometimes in utter darkness; sometimes with a glimmering lamp; and sometimes, viewing his own face in a looking-glass, by the most powerful light which he could throw upon it” (1). In Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of the book, described Melinda’s closet as "The back wall has built-in shelves filled with dusty textbooks and a few bottles of bleach. A stained armchair and an old fashioned desk peek from behind a collection of mops…

character in the novel, even tells her, “You are so negative and you never try anything, you just mope around like you don’t care that people talk about you behind your back’” (Anderson 34). Rather than face anything head-on, Melinda ignores the rumors, runs away from her past, and hides from confrontation in a school closet (Anderson, passim). However, towards the end of the novel, when she is finally able to speak up for herself, Melinda has acknowledged that it is okay to rely on others for…

battles that occurred, important and influential people during this time period, and the cause and effects of specific events of the revolt against the British. This site is easy to navigate and will allow students to explore on their own. *Anderson, Laurie Halse, and Matt Faulkner. Independent Dames: What You Never Knew about the Women and Girls of the American Revolution. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2008. Print. This picture book is all about the powerful…

Jamela Mavrakis Anderson, Fever 1793 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000), 249pgs. The Epidemic of Yellow Fever, 1793 Fever 1793 portrays a young fourteen year old girl, Matilda Cook, who lives in Philadelphia as an epidemic sweeps through know as, Yellow Fever. Yellow fever is a disease that starts with fever and muscle ache. Then, targets often become jaundiced; this is where “Yellow” fever comes from. Although Fever 1793 is historical fiction, Anderson achieved massive amounts of research to…

Maya Angelou that the librarian gave me. She said Ms. Angelou is one of the greatest American writers. The poster was coming down because the school board banned one of her books. She must be a great writer if the school board is afraid of her” (Anderson 49). Still unable to face herself in the mirror and, therefore, face her traumatic event, Melinda prefers to look at the poster of Maya Angelou. Both Angelou and Melinda lost their identity and voices due to sexual assault. While the poster…

have to acknowledge that adolescence is that time of transition where we begin to introduce to children that life isn’t pretty, that there are difficult things, there are hard situations, it’s not fair. Bad things happen to good people,” - Laurie Halse Anderson. The concept of adolescence is a universal phenomenon that includes the transition from a child into a young adult. It is the exact moment where a young individual discovers their newfound values and incorporate those principles onto…

Author’s Craft Essay - Fever 1793 Priyanka Balla In the historical fiction novel, Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, the book takes place in Philadelphia during the Yellow Fever outbreak. The book is centered around Mattie, who is a 14-year-old girl who lives with her grandfather and her mother. When the Fever hits the city Mattie and her grandfather flee the city along the way, taking care of each other until he dies, Mattie then starts living with her restaurant cook and taking care of the…