Not recommended for ages 10 or younger.
Todd Strasser sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues, in 1978 and used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company, which for many years helped support him while he wrote. He is now the author of more than 100 novels, mostly for teenage and young readers. His books have won numerous state, national, and international awards, including the American Library Association's Best Book for Teens (four times), and the ALA Notable Book Award. His most recent novel for both teens and adults is the controversial Give A Boy A Gun, an investigation into the circumstances surrounding a fictional school shooting.
Strasser is the author of several popular series for middle-grade students, including the amusing "Help! I'm Trapped in ..." books, the Don't Get Caught books, as well as the Heavenly Litebody and Against The Odds series. His novels for older teens include the Time Zone High trilogy: How I Changed My Life, an American Library Association Best Book, How I Spent My Last Night on Earth and How I Created My Perfect Prom Date, which became the movie DRIVE ME CRAZY starring Melissa Joan Hart.
Although James Howe of Hastings-on-Hudson has written over seventy books for children and young adults, he is especially beloved for his "Bunnicula" series; for a series of books for beginning readers about two best friends named Pinky and Rex; and for a series of mysteries featuring thirteen-year-old sleuth Sebastian Barth. Among his books for young adults is The Watcher, a psychological study of four young people on a summer beach, which The New York Times called "a brave, dark, remarkable new novel," and The Color of Absence, a recently published collection of short stories on the theme of loss which he contributed to and edited. His latest book, The Misfits, is a novel set in seventh grade, about four best friends who fight to end name-calling in their middle school. While The Misfits is about a serious topic, it is also filled with humor, and Howe is now at work on a sequel.
Suggested Donation: $5 ($3 for members)
The readings at the HVWC are made possible in part by grants from the Bydale Foundation and the Gannett Foundation; with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts; and by Westchester Arts Council with funds from Westchester County Government, corporations and individuals.