Krovatin, Christopher 1985–

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Krovatin, Christopher 1985–

Personal

Born 1985, in New York, NY. Education: Attended Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT).

Addresses

Home—New York, NY. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Push/Scholastic, Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Career

Novelist.

Awards, Honors

Top Ten First Novels for Youth designation, Booklist, 2005, for Heavy Metal and You.

Writings

(Editor) The Best Ghost Stories Ever, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Heavy Metal and You, Push (New York, NY), 2005.

Sidelights

Christopher Krovatin made his foray into publishing while a student at Wesleyan University, when an internship with Scholastic's New York City-based Push imprint introduced him to the business. Born and raised in the city, Krovatin was up to the task and his first publishing credit was as editor of a collection of ghost stories for the publisher. A fan of the heavy metal music genre, Krovatin had also been working on a novel-length work, and in 2005 his young-adult novel Heavy Metal and You was released by Push, an imprint noted for their edgy fiction and willingness to support younger writers.

Cited among Booklist's top ten first novels for youth, Heavy Metal and You recounts the experiences of a young man attending an all boys' private school. The consummate Slayer fan, Sam Marcus enjoys hanging out with his buddies, partying, listening to music, and having an all-around good time, while also challenging his intellectual side through his love of literature. When he falls for Melissa, the relationship is strained by the fact that she leads a very different life. Melissa is more "straight-edged"; she does not drink or do drugs, and she has little tolerance for Sam's hard-partying lifestyle. The situation is frustrating: on the one hand, Sam is crazy about Melissa, but he also instinctively resists the pressure the relationship puts on him to change who he is.

Reviewing Krovatin's debut novel, School Library Journal reviewer Heather E. Miller commented that the "rapid progression, as well as the realistic situations and language keep teens' attention, making the book a good choice for reluctant readers." Cindy Dobrez also viewed the novel positively, writing in Booklist that "teens don't have to like heavy metal to appreciate" Krovatin's story, which, through "music, humor, and anger,… records a perfect take on relationships and how they change." Noting that the tone of the novel—that "the talk between Sam and his buddies is appropriately crude and raunchy"—is realistic and the "chemistry" between the teens "is powerful," Kliatt reviewer Claire Rosser predicted that Heavy Metal and You "will
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resonate with many YA readers, most of whom have experienced something like this relationship."

In an online interview for the Push Web site, Krovatin described his love of heavy metal and its influence on his writing. "Metal's extreme honesty and utter intensity always gave me a certain level of fulfillment," he explained. "So many genres of music just feel limp and tired, going through the motions. Heavy metal music IS energy—it awakens something primal and organic in a person which they all too often deny because of their feelings of propriety and professionalism. At the same time, in its more outlandish parts—the Satanic lyrics, the huge stage shows, the crazy spiked costumes—metal allows me to see the everything should be taken with a grain of salt. Listening to metal allows me to understand myself in a very down-to-earth way, while at the same time pampering my love for the dramatic and giving me a sense of humor."