Each of Powell's characters is caught at a fragile moment when he is trying to decide on the direction his life should take. Powell's coming-of-age novels are particularly life-like and are often open-ended, leaving the resolution up to the reader.
Sports are often a part of Powell's novels. His protagonists play football, baseball, and tennis, but for Powell, sports is the vehicle though which he examines mature themes. "After my first YA novel, I thought I might be an author of what critics like to call 'character-driven sports books,'" Powell told AAYA, "but I found writing sports scenes over and over can be very dull for me. I like to grow in my work, to find surprises." He now writes about family relationships, love, fitting in and bailing out, and dealing with neglect and rejection. As a critic for Publishers Weekly wrote in a review of Tribute to Another Dead Rock Star, "Through sharply defined characters and lively, often humorous dialogue, Powell allows readers to comfortably examine some serious issues." This is true of all of his work.
A Sports-filled Youth
Powell grew up in Seattle, Washington.
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