Joan Bauer (Student Companions to Young Adult Series)

Joan Bauer is one of the most popular young adult novelists today. She is well-respected not only by her readers, but also by librarians and critics, having won a Newbery Honor for Hope Was Here (2001), among other awards. Drawing on personal experiences with divorce and family alcoholism, Bauer has her seemingly ordinary teenage characters face situations that test, and prove, their maturity and confidence. Following an introduction to Bauer's work, and a biographical chapter, this volume examines each novel by breaking it down into sections on plot, characterization, setting, and themes. Readers consulting this book for research, or for deeper analysis of a favorite novel, will find this a complete resource.

Includes the following novels: -Backwater -Best Foot Forward -Hope Was Here -Rules of the Road -Squashed -Stand Tall -Sticks -Thwonk