About the Author

Julie Halpern is the author of Get Well Soon and Into the Wild Nerd Yonder, as well as the picture book Toby and the Snowflakes. In addition to writing, Julie is a middle-school librarian. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, lived in Australia for six months, and created a couple of zines before she started writing books, and realized she was and always has been a writer. She is married to the artist Matthew Cordell, and they live outside Chicago with their daughter and gloriously large Siamese cat, Tobin.

Reviews

"This novel has well-developed characters and clear insight into relationships. . . . Perfect vacation reading." --VOYA "Readers in the mood for a vicarious summer fling will enjoy the ride." --BCCB "Halpern delivers a summer road-trip novel with dark undertones, suggestive of a John Hughes film in its humor, pathos, and keen eye for the teenage mindset." --Publishers Weekly "Halpern's novel of self-exploration is thoughtfully executed and similar in tone to Morgan Matson's Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. Heavier scenes, including Penny's revelations of abuse, are well balanced with humor and entertaining road-trip experiences." --Booklist "The dialogue sounds true without being crude and repetitive, and readers will enjoy narrator Lillian's sharp wit." --Kirkus Reviews "In funny, easygoing prose, 16-year-old Anna writes letters while spending three difficult, involuntary weeks in a mental institution. . . . This is an appealingly comic cousin of Carolyn Mackler's The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things." --Kirkus Reviews on Get Well Soon "Halpern creates a narrative that reflects the changes in Anna with each passing day that includes self-reflection and a good dose of humor. Readers will cheer for Anna as she gains confidence in herself, dares to rebel a little, and gets well as she goes back to her life." --VOYA on Get Well Soon "Fans of everything geek will adore Jessie's induction into the world of nerds, one that includes the band geek lunch table, Dungeons & Dragons, and a genuinely fun-filled weekend in a field immersed in a medieval role-playing game. Halpern's story may not hold surprises, but readers aren't hoping for any; besides, Jessie's narration is the real draw." --The Horn Book on Into the Wild Nerd Yonder "[The] narrative voice is unusually honest, and the at times bawdy dialogue is realistic and bitingly funny." --Kirkus Reviews on Into the Wild Nerd Yonder "Halpern's descriptions of high-school cliques, particularly the punk posers and the D&D fanatics, are hilarious and believable, and characters who seem to fit particular stereotypes suddenly show unexpected traits. The story's theme could easily become clichéd, but this novel is particularly strong in showing how teen friendships evolve and sometimes die away, and how adolescents redefine themselves." --School Library Journal on Into the Wild Nerd Yonder