Warner, Sally 1946-

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Warner, Sally 1946-

PERSONAL: Born 1946, in New York, NY; children: Alex, Andrew. Education: Attended Scripps College (Claremont, CA); Otis Art Institute (Los Angeles, CA), M.A. Hobbies and other interests: Gardening, yoga, swimming, visiting.

ADDRESSES: Home—Altadena, CA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Viking Publicity, 345 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

CAREER: Writer, artist, and educator. Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA, teacher of art education for ten years.

WRITINGS:

(Self-illustrated) Encouraging the Artist in Your Child (Even If You Can't Draw), photographs by Claire Henze, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1989.

(Self-illustrated) Encouraging the Artist in Yourself: Even If It's Been a Long, Long Time, photographs by Claire Henze, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1991.

Making Room for Making Art: A Thoughtful and Practical Guide to Bringing the Pleasure of Artistic Expression Back into Your Life, Chicago Review Press (Chicago, IL), 1994.

FOR CHILDREN

Dog Years, Knopf (New York, NY), 1995.

Some Friend (sequel to Dog Years), Knopf (New York, NY), 1996.

Ellie and the Bunheads, Knopf (New York, NY), 1997.

Sort of Forever, Knopf (New York, NY), 1998.

Totally Confidential, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2000.

Bad Girl Blues (sequel to Totally Confidential), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

Finding Hattie, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.

How to Be a Real Person (in Just One Day), Knopf (New York, NY), 2001.

Sister Split, American Girl (Middleton, WI), 2001.

This Isn't about the Money, Viking (New York, NY), 2002.

A Long Time Ago Today, Viking (New York, NY), 2003.

Twilight Child, Viking (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to Smart about the First Ladies, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2004.

"LILY" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN

Sweet and Sour Lily, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, Knopf (New York, NY), 1998.

Private Lily, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, Knopf (New York, NY), 1998.

Accidental Lily, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, Knopf (New York, NY), 1999.

Leftover Lily, illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers, Knopf (New York, NY), 1999.

"EMMA" SERIES; FOR CHILDREN

Not-So-Weird Emma, illustrated by Jamie Harper, Viking (New York, NY), 2005.

Only Emma, illustrated by Jamie Harper, Viking (New York, NY), 2005.

Super Emma, illustrated by Jamie Harper, Viking (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: Since the mid-1990s, Sally Warner has steadily published middle-grade novels that depict contemporary characters in a host of realistic situations, along with her "Lily" quartet and Emma series geared to younger readers, and several books on creativity for adults. She first made her name as a novelist for children with Dog Years and its sequel Some Friend. In these works readers get to know sixth-grader Case, who has major challenges to contend with: his father is in prison for armed robbery, he lives with his mother and little sister in a tiny apartment with no privacy, and he has made only one friend, Ned, at his new school. Yet, things take a turn for the better when his English class starts a newspaper and he contributes a cartoon about a dog named Spotty. In the sequel, Case tries to help Ned, who has run away from the foster home in which he was placed after his grandmother/guardian was hospitalized. Both books garnered positive reviews. Discussing Dog Years in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Susan Dove Lempke praised Warner for her "light touch," "vivid characters," and "remarkable economy of words." Booklist contributor Mary Harris Veeder also praised Warner's portrayal of the consequences of lying and the tension among school groups. As in Dog Years, in Some Friend Warner balances the "hardhitting, realistic edge" with "witty, lighthearted moments," according to a Publishers Weekly contributor.

Warner's next preteen novel, Ellie and the Bunheads, tells the story of almost thirteen-year-old Ellie, a dance student who is pressured by her parents to pursue a ballet career. While Booklist contributor Lauren Peterson found the end "anticlimactic and unconvincing," she judged the depiction of "preteen angst" to be "authentic." Despite calling Ellie's arguments with her mother "a bit repetitious," a Publishers Weekly contributor thought that the book "consistently rings true, as does the dialogue that gives this narrative its fleet pace." A critic writing for Kirkus Reviews applauded the work, saying that "Ellie's experiences and observations ring true, and the ways she solves her problems make for an admirable character."

Warner followed Ellie with two other memorable characters: Cady and Nana. They are best friends in Sort of Forever, which focuses on the girls' relationship as Nana suffers from a fatal illness. Calling the work a "piercing novel," a Publishers Weekly contributor commented: "Warner is honest and convincing, writing without sentimentality." In the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Deborah Stevenson described the novel as "sometimes talky and awkward," but especially good at portraying the impact of Nana's illness on those around her. Booklist critic Chris Sherman felt that Warner "skillfully adds flashes of humor" to balance the "heartbreaking but satisfying story."

Warner reprised Lily, Case's six-year-old sister in Dog Years and Some Friend, for a four-book series of chapter books. Lily has her own take on many of the same problems as her brother. In Sweet and Sour Lily, she tries to make friends at a new school, while in Private Lily, Lily tries to make a private space for herself in their crowded apartment. Accidentally Lily focuses on her bed-wetting problem, and Leftover Lily depicts what happens when she fights with her two best friends. Enthusiasts for the series often noted the books' humor. They included Booklist contributors Lauren Peterson, who called Sweet and Sour Lily a "charming chapter book," and Hazel Rochman, who called Private Lily a "tender, very funny chapter book."

Totally Confidential and its sequel Bad Girl Blues focus on middle-schooler Quinney. In the first novel she decides that her summer job is to become a professional listener, and finds out she needs some advice herself. In the latter book she is forced to deal with a friend who has taken a different path than she has chosen. Both books earned qualified praise. Writing about Totally Confidential for Publishers Weekly, a reviewer found the maturity of the main character to be implausible but praised Warner for a "tight and well-told story, full of empathy for kids' anxieties and concerns." The characters are "not developed deeply," in the opinion of Victoria Kidd of the School Library Journal, but will elicit empathy. Booklist contributor Shelle Rosenfeld also liked the work, calling Totally Confidential a "lively, engaging novel [that] sympathetically portrays some familiar themes."

Warner departed from writing contemporary middle-grade fiction with Finding Hattie, a historical novel set in the early 1880s. After the deaths of her great-aunt and brother, Hattie is taken in by an aunt who lives in New York City and sent with her cousin to a boarding school. There Hattie must choose between friendship with the popular group or another girl, who, like Hattie herself, is of a different background. Because Warner modeled Hattie after her own great-grandmother and even used part of her journal entries in the text, it is not surprising that reviewers noticed the author's "scrupulous attention to period detail," to quote a Horn Book contributor. Several critics noted the authenticity, including Kathryn Kosiorek, who called it a "well-written, carefully researched novel" in her School Library Journal review. A Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote that the author "seamlessly details Hattie's domestic and academic life" and keeps Hattie's "observations historically accurate."

After Finding Hattie, Warner published several contemporary novels, including How to Be a Real Person (in Just One Day), about a girl whose mother is mentally ill, Sister Split, about the effects of their parents' divorce on two sisters, and This Isn't about the Money. Warner sounded a right note with How to Be a Real Person, according to critics. In this novel, sixth-grader Kara has been hiding the truth from others: her father is gone and her mother is slipping into mental illness. By the end of this particular day, Kara realizes that she cannot hold her life together any longer and must seek help. Lauding Warner in Booklist for her accurate depiction of mental illness, Kelly Milner called the work a "brave, troubling novel" with a "riveting, well-crafted story." Likewise, Terrie Dorio, writing in the School Library Journal, noted that the "descriptions of living with a manic-depressive hit the mark." A Publishers Weekly contributor noted: "Warner has shaped a haunting, ultimately hopeful story, whose heroine is indisputably real."

In A Long Time Ago Today, Warner tells the story of twelve-year-old Dilly Howell. Dilly remains distraught over her mother's death six years earlier as she deals with both anger at her mother for leaving her and at the unseen influence that her presence still holds over the household. Dilly eventually finds out that before dying her mother left her a letter to read and then discovers other letters that begin to help Dilly cope. A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that the author presents "a poignant story of friendship and mother-daughter love that will not leave a dry eye." Carolyn Phelan, writing in Booklist, commented: "Peopled with complex, sympathetic characters, this is both entertaining and involving." School Library Journal contributor Barbara Auerbach called the book "a painful, but realistic treatment of grief and healing."

The illustrated Only Emma introduces Emma McGraw, an only child who soon experiences what it might be like to have a sibling when her mother temporarily takes care of a four-year-old named Anthony. Emma, who is in the third grade, finds Anthony to be an intrusion in her previously solitary life at home as he is noisy and has a fit when he does not get his way. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called the book "lots of fun." Linda Zeilstra Sawyer, writing in the School Library Journal, noted: "Emma is a likable character whose feelings and behaviors are common to many children."

Emma returns in Not-So-Weird Emma. This time Emma struggles to be popular with her classmates while retaining her innermost self. A Kirkus Reviews contributor wrote: "Young readers will recognize Emma and her classmates and will look forward to hearing how they do."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 1995, Mary Harris Veeder, review of Dog Years, p. 1501; June 1, 1996, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Some Friend, p. 1724; June 1, 1997, Lauren Peterson, review of Ellie and the Bunheads, p. 1707; June 1, 1998, Chris Sherman, review of Sort of Forever, p. 1769; August, 1998, Lauren Peterson, review of Sweet and Sour Lily, p. 2009; September 15, 1998, Hazel Rochman, review of Private Lily, p. 232; March 15, 1999, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Accidental Lily, p. 1330; July, 1999, Lauren Peterson, review of Leftover Lily, p. 1947; June 1, 2000, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Totally Confidential, p. 1898; February 1, 2001, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of Finding Hattie, p. 1054; February 15, 2001, Kelly Milner, review of How to Be a Real Person (in Just One Day), p. 1138; July, 2001, Kay Weisman, review of Bad Girl Blues, p. 2007; January 1, 2002, Julie Cummins, review of Sister Split, p. 860; November 1, 2003, Carolyn Phelan, review of A Long Time Ago Today, p. 497; March 1, 2005, Jennifer Locke, review of Only Emma, p. 1199; September 1, 2005, Debbie Carton, review of Not-So-Weird Emma, p. 137.

Book Report, November-December, 1997, Allison Trent Bernstein, review of Ellie and the Bunheads, p. 43.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 9, 1995, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Dog Years, pp. 325-326; May, 1998, Deborah Stevenson, review of Sort of Forever, pp. 342-343; September, 1998, Deborah Stevenson, review of Private Lily, p. 38.

Horn Book, May, 2001, review of Finding Hattie, p. 338.

Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 1997, review of Ellie and the Bunheads, pp. 651-652; September 1, 2003, review of A Long Time Ago Today, p. 1132; March 1, 2005, review of Only Emma, p. 297; August 1, 2005, review of Not-So-Weird Emma, p. 860.

Publishers Weekly, March 6, 1995, review of Dog Years, p. 70; June 10, 1996, review of Some Friend, p. 100; April 14, 1997, review of Ellie and the Bunheads, p. 76; March 30, 1998, review of Sort of Forever, p. 83; June 7, 1999, review of Leftover Lily, p. 85; June 26, 2000, review of Totally Confidential, p. 75; January 1, 2001, reviews of How to Be a Real Person (in Just One Day) and Finding Hattie, p. 93.

School Library Journal, April, 1995, Connie Tyrrell Burns, review of Dog Years, p. 138; May, 1996, Carrie A. Guarria, review of Some Friend, p. 118; September, 1997, Amy Kellman, review of Ellie and the Bunheads, pp. 226-227; July, 1998, Carrie A. Guarria, review of Sort of Forever, p. 100; October, 1998, Mary M. Hopf, review of Private Lily, p. 117, and Susan Helper, review of Sweet and Sour Lily, pp. 117-118; July, 1999, Faith Brautigam, review of Accidental Lily, pp. 82-83, and Susan Helper, review of Leftover Lily, p. 83; June, 2000, Victoria Kidd, review of Totally Confidential, p. 155; February, 2001, Kathryn Kosiorek, review of Finding Hattie, p. 122, and Terrie Dorio, review of How to Be a Real Person (in Just One Day), p. 123; July, 2001, Laura Glaser, review of Bad Girl Blues, p. 116; December, 2003, Barbara Auerbach, review of A Long Time Ago Today, p. 161; April, 2005, Linda Zeilstra Sawyer, review of Only Emma, p. 114; November, 2005, Carol L. MacKay, review of Not-So-Weird Emma, p. 110.