Ordinary+Heroes

=== Grandmothers, short order cooks, shoe salesmen, waitresses, too tall boys, pumpkin obsessed teenagers, hardened journalists: Joan Bauer discusses how she creates the quirky, funny heroes and role models in her novels, and why we need everyday heroes more than ever. ===

=== // In her nine novels, Joan Bauer explores difficult issues with humor and hope. Her books have won numerous awards, among them the Newbery Honor Medal, the LA Times Book Prize, the Christopher Award, and the Golden Kite Award of //// the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She has twice participated in the State Department's professional speaker's program, going to both Kazakhstan and Croatia where she talked with students, writers, educators, and children at risk about her life and her novels. Her novels have been chosen for many best book lists, among them, ALA //// Notable Books, ALA Best Books, ALA Quick Picks, American Bookseller Pick of the List, School Library Journal Best Books, Smithsonian Notable Children's Books, VOYA's Perfect 10s. Her novel **Rules of the Road** was chosen as one of the top young adult books of the last 25 years by the American Library Association. //===