to live through the self-esteem crash that everyone knows girls experience around adolescence but no one can quite explain."
Born in Manhattan, Vail grew up in New Rochelle, New York. In her youth she never intended to be a writer; instead, Vail was entranced by the stage and took every opportunity to appear in school and community productions. But her writing abilities drew the encouragement of various teachers, both in high school and later at Georgetown University, who helped her to develop her talent. In an autobiographical sketch for Horn Book, Vail recalled one instructor in particular named Doc Murphy. A theater professor, Murphy encouraged her to focus on the essentials of character. Vail observed, "I think writing would be so much more exciting and less daunting to children if the emphasis were put on the details, the questions that propel the writer to create astonishing, unique characters who, by their juxtaposition with other astonishing, unique characters, make stories happen."
Characters a Reflection of Teen Readers
Vail's emphasis on character is apparent in her first novel for children, a coming-of-age story titled Wonder.
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