Who was Laurie Halse Anderson?

Laurie Halse (rhymes with "waltz")[1] Anderson (born October 23, 1961) is a U.S. author who writes for children and young adults. She is best known for her young adult novel Speak which won a number of awards, including a National Book Award nomination[2] and Printz Honor Book[3], and was adapted for the small screen[4]. Her novel Prom was a New York Times bestseller. She has recently released a new novel, Twisted (2007), which stayed on the New York Times Best Seller List for five weeks. Anderson resides in Mexico, NY with her husband, Scot Larrabee.