Shannon Hale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shannon Hale
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Hale in 2016
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| Born | Shannon Bryner January 26, 1974 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Language | English |
| Alma mater | University of Utah University of Montana |
| Period | 2003–present |
| Genre | Young adult, fantasy |
| Notable works | The Goose Girl Princess Academy Book of a Thousand Days Austenland |
| Spouse | Dean Hale |
| Children | 4 |
Shannon Hale (born January 26, 1974) is an American author. She writes many popular young adult and children's fantasy books. Some of her famous works include Princess Academy, which won a Newbery Honor, and The Goose Girl.
Her first book for adults, Austenland, was even made into a movie in 2013. Shannon Hale has also written books with her husband, Dean Hale. She went to the University of Utah and the University of Montana.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Shannon Hale was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on January 26, 1974. She was the middle child in a family of five kids. From a young age, she loved to write, read, and act. She often made up plays and performed them with her friends.
When she was only 10, Shannon started writing fantasy books. She often made herself the main character in her stories. Her teachers in elementary school really encouraged her creative ideas. In fourth grade, she decided she wanted to be a writer when she grew up.
In junior high, she worked on the school's literary magazine. Later, at West High School, she loved English and drama classes. She took a creative writing class and helped edit her high school's literary magazine. She also acted in school and community plays, like The Secret Garden.
Shannon also joined drama competitions and traveled with an improv theater group. This group performed plays about different teen issues. She met her husband, Dean Hale, in high school. He was also interested in theater. Shannon says her acting experience helped her write better, especially with creating characters and building story worlds.
She went to the University of Utah and first studied both English and Theater. But she later decided to focus only on English. She took a break to serve as a missionary in Paraguay for 18 months. She earned her bachelor's degree in English in 1998.
Later, she got a master's degree in Creative Writing from the University of Montana. While studying there, she wrote many short stories. She sent them to publishers, but none were accepted at that time.
Becoming a Writer
Shannon Hale started writing The Goose Girl during her master's program. She worked on it during her lunch breaks at her job. She had originally planned to write for adults, but she found her passion in young adult and children's books.
The Goose Girl was her first published novel. It was rejected nine times before Bloomsbury Publishing offered to publish it in 2003. The book was based on her favorite fairy tale of the same name. It became the first book in her popular Books of Bayern series.
The Goose Girl won the 2004 Josette Frank Award. Hundreds of thousands of copies have been printed in 15 different languages. Other books in the Bayern series include Enna Burning, River Secrets, and Forest Born.
Her novel Princess Academy became a New York Times Best Seller. It also received a Newbery Honor, which is a very important award for children's books. Shannon said this award was a "surprise gift" that really changed her career.
Because Princess Academy was so popular, she wrote two sequels: Princess Academy: Palace of Stone and Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters. Shannon has said that this series is like "a love letter to education."
Her first adult novel, Austenland, was also very popular. Shannon and screenwriter Jerusha Hess wrote the movie script for Austenland. The movie came out in 2013 at the Sundance Film Festival. It was later bought by Sony Pictures. Twilight author Stephenie Meyer helped produce the film.
In 2012, Shannon released a sequel novel called Midnight in Austenland. She also wrote another adult novel, The Actor and the Housewife, in 2009. She has kept many of the rejection letters she received from publishers. She even put them all together into one very long scroll!
In 2017, Shannon Hale released a graphic memoir called Real Friends. This book tells the story of her struggles in elementary school. It was drawn by LeUyen Pham. Its sequel, Best Friends, also became a New York Times Best Seller.
In 2018, her Princess in Black series, which she wrote with her husband, Dean Hale, also made the New York Times Best Seller list. They also wrote the graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge. Plus, they wrote two young adult novels for Marvel superheroes: Squirrel Girl and Captain Marvel. Shannon also wrote her own young adult superhero novel, Dangerous, in 2014.
Other Activities
Before becoming a full-time author, Shannon Hale did many different things. She performed on stage and in improvisational comedy shows. She also studied in Mexico and the United Kingdom. She even worked as an instructional designer, which means she helped create learning materials.
Shannon is a strong supporter of gender equality. She has noticed that her books are often marketed mostly to girls. This happens even though both boys and girls enjoy reading them. She has written articles about this topic.
Personal Life
Shannon Hale is married to Dean C. Hale. They have written many books together. These include the graphic novels Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack. They also co-wrote The Princess in Black series and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl series.
She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). She has spoken about including her religious upbringing in her graphic novel memoirs. She believes it's important to show her life as it was.
Shannon and Dean have four children: Max, Magnolia, and twin girls Dinah and Wren. Shannon has said that her children often give her new ideas for books almost every day!
Awards and Recognitions
Shannon Hale's books have won many awards and honors.
- The Princess in Black was a New York Times bestseller. Kirkus Reviews also named it one of the best books of 2014.
- In 2006, her book Princess Academy received a Newbery Honor. This is a very important award for children's literature.
- In 2017, her graphic memoir Real Friends was on Booklist's "Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth" list.
- Real Friends also won an AML Award in Comics in 2017.
- In 2018, Real Friends won the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards for Best in Children's Books.
- Her book Itty-Bitty Kitty-Corn was a New York Times and IndieBound bestseller.
- In 2021, her book Friends Forever won an AML Award in Comics.
