Author Spotlight: Jean Ferris

Jean Ferris has been one of my favorite authors for a long time. When I was in sixth grade, I finished my book during reading time and grabbed a book at random from the teacher's book collection. I ended up being hooked and I finished the book that night and began devouring everything of hers I could get my hands on. The public library only had a few of Jean Ferris' books, so every time I went to a new library or moved somewhere new, I'd check to see if there were any new books by her. With this system (and ordering a few), I've ended up reading a huge amount of her writings.

What I love about Jean Ferris is that she:

• deals with difficult topics with ease - She has books about sexuality, deafness, teen pregnancy, cancer, SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT
• has such ridiculous and whimsical characters - In some of her lighter, later books, Ferris creates bizarre characters. One character only speaks in quotes. Another character in a different book is color blind, so he only wears black (though it is perceived as being menacing when we first meet him). Yet another character knows every word of the film Casablanca. They're all so different and lovable. 
• empowers her readers to be strong-willed and stick by their decisions - Ferris writes for teens and it seems like her whole goal is to help her readers feel like they can be taken seriously by adults and like their feelings and goals matter. All her main characters are human, yet they can make serious decisions and can grow from their mistakes. Reading her books as a teenager, I felt like Ferris understood me and wanted to make me stronger than I was. It was a nice feeling.

One of the funny parts about writing this spotlight is that I realized how unknown Ferris is. Some of her books listed on Goodreads only have a few reviews and it turns out her author website is now a travel guide for Boulder, CO. So that was weird (especially since she released a new book in just 2013). I also found out that she passed away in 2015 - which would explain why she hasn't published anything new in years. Even though she isn't around anymore, Ferris' books still have lessons that ring true and books that anyone can enjoy.

THE BIO

(Taken from Goodreads) This author is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects: living with a deaf parent (Of Sound Mind), facing the consequences of a criminal act (Bad), or questioning one's sexuality (Eight Seconds). But Jean Ferris is also adept at writing comedy, historical fiction, and romance. What's most interesting is that she didn't publish her first novel until she was in her mid-40s. Yet she's never forgotten the intense feelings and changes of her own teenage years. Critics as well as teen readers have seen the evidence of that in her writing and have honored her novels with a number of awards, from Best Books for Young Adults to various state and National Book Award nominations.

THE BOOKS

     

   

   

   

   

   

   

Have you read anything by Jean Ferris? What books made an impression on you as a preteen/teenager? Do any of these books catch your eye?