M. T. Anderson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids M. T. Anderson
Anderson in 2015
Born	(1968-11-04) November 4, 1968 (age 56) Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Author

Matthew Tobin Anderson (born November 4, 1968) is an American author who writes books for young people. His stories range from picture books for younger kids to novels for teens. He won a big award, the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, in 2006 for The Pox Party. This book is the first of two "Octavian Nothing" stories, which are historical novels set in Boston during the American Revolution. Anderson is known for using humor and cleverness in his writing. He believes that young adults are smart and can understand deep ideas.

Biography: M. T. Anderson's Life Story

Anderson was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and grew up in Stow, Massachusetts. His dad was an engineer, and his mom was a priest. He went to several schools, including Harvard College and the University of Cambridge in England.

Before his first novel, Thirsty, was published in 1997, Anderson worked at a publishing company called Candlewick Press. He also worked as a disc jockey for a radio station and taught at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Today, he lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He also helps lead the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, which is a group that supports reading, books, and libraries for kids across the country.

Writing Style: How M. T. Anderson Writes His Books

M. T. Anderson likes to challenge his readers to see the world in new ways. He once said, "We write because we can't figure things out the first time around." His novels for young adults, like Thirsty and Feed, often make fun of society in a smart way.

He also writes picture books for younger kids, such as Handel, Who Knew What He Liked. For pre-teens, he wrote novels like The Game of Sunken Places. Anderson uses clever language and complex stories because he believes young people are very intelligent. He explained in an interview that the future of our country depends on young people getting excited about new ideas.

When he was writing Feed, Anderson read teen magazines like Seventeen to understand how teenagers talk. He used this to create a realistic, but also exaggerated, teenage voice in his book. He did something similar for The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, reading old 18th-century novels to get the language right.

Anderson is a bit shy and prefers writing to speaking in public. He isn't afraid to explore difficult questions and mature topics in his books. Unlike some writers, he sees his characters as figures he controls, except for Octavian Nothing, who felt more real to him.

Writing for young adults can be tricky, especially with the topics Anderson chooses. He does a lot of research for his historical novels to make sure they are accurate. He also tries to put himself in the shoes of a young person from a different time or even a future time. Anderson has said he often dislikes his books after finishing them, which shows he's modest. He just likes to move on to new projects and try different types of stories. He hopes to keep writing for kids and teens, and maybe even for adults in the future.

Feed: A Look into the Future

Feed is a novel for young adults that imagines life for teenagers in a future America. In this future world, young people have a computer chip called "the feed" implanted in their brains. This chip connects them to a huge network of ads, pictures, sounds, and messages. The government uses the feed to learn about everyone's likes and dislikes. If someone tries to go against the feed, they might be denied information or help later on.

The book explores ideas about big companies having too much power and how much we buy things (called consumerism). Feed is seen as a great book for young adults to learn about being good citizens and how they can make social changes. The story also shows how much the characters depend on the feed, and how other parts of society fall apart because of it.

Feed was praised for Anderson's creative humor and its unique "futuristic" language. It won the Los Angeles Times Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award. It was also named one of the ALA Best Books for Young Adults.

Feed in Schools: Learning About Our World

Feed is often taught in schools as a dystopian novel. This means it shows an exaggerated, often negative, version of our modern society to make us think about it. The book helps teenagers, who are used to seeing ads everywhere, understand the dangers of buying too much without making them feel scared. Even the schools in the novel are controlled by companies, which makes students question the link between buying things and their education.

The novel talks about not just mindless buying, but also the power of big industries and marketing. Feed also highlights how important language is and what happens when it becomes too simple or limited. The main goal of teaching Feed is to help students think about what it means to be smart consumers.

Thirsty: A Teenager's Transformation

Thirsty is the story of Chris, a teenage boy who is slowly turning into a vampire. Meanwhile, the people in his town (Boston) are busy fighting these scary creatures. The book uses Chris's transformation to show what it's like to grow up and go through adolescence. People have called the story exciting, suspenseful, and a bit creepy, but also full of humor. Thirsty was M. T. Anderson's first published novel and his first book for young adults. It was highly praised as a strong first book, making Anderson an author to watch.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: A Journey to Freedom

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation takes readers back to the time when the United States was just beginning. It's about Octavian, the son of an African princess, who is raised in a very unusual way in the American colonies. Octavian becomes part of a college study that tries to measure the intelligence of African Americans. After Octavian's mother sadly passes away due to a medical procedure at the college, Octavian is forced to see the world for what it truly is.

The first part, The Pox Party, is told from Octavian's point of view. The second part, The Kingdom on the Waves, is told through letters. The novel is praised for its creativity and exciting story. Teenagers can understand and connect with the story even without knowing all the historical details. This book is also famous because of how much research Anderson did to make the historical parts accurate. He tried to make the language sound just like people spoke in the 18th century.

Burger Wuss: A Humorous Revenge Story

Burger Wuss is another novel for young adults. The story follows a teenage narrator named Anthony. He gets a job at a local burger restaurant just to get revenge on another employee, Turner, who stole Anthony's girlfriend. This novel is liked for its dark humor, funny tone, and clever sarcasm, much like many of Anderson's other books. Critics noted that Burger Wuss was good at showing the tougher parts of everyday life.

Children's Books: Fun for Younger Readers

M. T. Anderson has also written picture books and books for pre-teens. His picture books include Handel, Who Knew What He Liked and Strange Mr. Satie. Anderson used his love for music in Handel, Who Knew What He Liked, which tells the story of the German-English composer, George Frideric Handel. This book is praised for being simple and easy to read. Strange Mr. Satie is about the less famous composer Erik Satie, who influenced modern music. Choosing Satie was an "offbeat" choice, but the book is highly regarded for its unique style, with text that matches Satie's musical style.

For pre-teens, Anderson wrote a fun chapter book called The Game of Sunken Places. The story is about two young boys, Gregory and Brian, who find a game board in the woods. They get pulled into a different world to play the game. The boys have to face many fantasy challenges, like trolls and monsters, as they figure out the game's rules and different dimensions. The book is known for its exciting surprises, humor, creativity, and adventurous spirit.

Awards and Honors: M. T. Anderson's Achievements

Elf Dog and Owl Head (2023)

• Honor book, 2024 Newbery Medal

Selected Works: A List of M. T. Anderson's Books

Novels

• Thirsty (1997)
• Burger Wuss (1999)
• Feed (2002)
• Landscape with Invisible Hand (2017)
• The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin (2018)
• Elf Dog and Owl Head (2023)
• Nicked (2024)

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation

1. Volume I: The Pox Party (2006)
2. Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves (2008)

Pals in Peril series

1. Whales on Stilts (2005)
2. The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen (2006)
3. Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware (2009)
4. Agent Q, or, The Smell of Danger (2010)
5. Zombie Mommy (2011)
6. He Laughed with His Other Mouths, illustrated by Kurt Cyrus (2014)

Norumbegan Quartet

1. The Game of Sunken Places (2004)
2. The Suburb Beyond the Stars (2010)
3. The Empire of Gut and Bone (2011)
4. The Chamber in the Sky (2012)

Nonfiction

• Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad (2015)

Graphic novels

• Yvain: The Knight of the Lion, with Andrea Offermann (2017)
• The Daughters of Ys, with Jo Rioux (2020)

Short fiction

• "Barcarole for Paper and Bones", Shelf Life: Stories by the Book, edited by Gary Paulsen. (Simon & Schuster, 2003).
• "A Brief Guide to the Ghosts of Great Britain" (memoir), Open Your Eyes: Extraordinary Experiences in Faraway Places, edited by Jill Davis. (Viking, 2003). Reprinted in the September/October 2005 issue of the young adult literature magazine Cicada.
• "The Mud and Fever Dialogues", Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, edited by Megan McCafferty. (Three Rivers Press, 2004).
• "Watch and Wake", Gothic: Ten Original Dark Tales, edited by Deborah Noyes. (Candlewick, 2004).
• "My Maturity, In Flames", Guys Write for Guys Read, edited by Jon Scieszka. (Viking, 2005).
• "The Old, Dead Nuisance" (2011)
• "The Bug Out Bag: What You Need to Stay Alive" (2012)
• "Bug Out: What to Do When It's Time to Get Out of Dodge" (2012)

Picture books

• Handel, Who Knew What He Liked (2001), illustrated by Kevin Hawkes — biography of George Frideric Handel
• Strange Mr. Satie (2003)
• Me, All Alone, at the End of the World (2004)
• The Serpent Came to Gloucester (2005)