The 1997 winner of the National Book Award for her young adult novel, Dancing on the Edge, Han Nolan speaks directly to teenage readers in a voice at once empathic and down-home humorous. The author of three published novels, Nolan has already captured a wide and loyal readership with her themes of tolerance and understanding, and with her youthful protagonists who discover--in the course of her books--who they are and what they want. "Thoughtful is how I would describe my books," Nolan told Authors and Artists for Young Adults (AAYA) in an interview. "I put a lot of thought into my novels and I hope they are also thought-provoking, but I guess that is for someone else besides me to judge."

Unlike many young adult authors, with Nolan there was no serendipity in the audience for whom she chose to write. From the beginning of her career she set...