Wyatt, Melissa 1963-

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Wyatt, Melissa 1963-

PERSONAL:

Born 1963, in York, PA; married Andy Wyatt; children: Ned, Will.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—York, PA. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Children's book author.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Best of the Best designation, Missouri Library Association, 2004, Thumbs Up! Award nomination, Michigan Library Association, and Best Books for the Teen Age designation, New York Public Library Books, both 2005; and Tayshas List, 2005-06, all for Raising the Griffin.

WRITINGS:

YOUNG-ADULT NOVELS

Raising the Griffin, Wendy Lamb Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Almost Heaven, Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 2009.

SIDELIGHTS:

After working on her manuscript for four years—one year on the initial story and three years on revisions—Melissa Wyatt made her publishing debut in 2004 with the young-adult novel Raising the Griffin. The story introduces readers to sixteen-year-old Alex Varenhoff, a British teen who has just discovered that he is heir to the throne of the small communist country of Rovenia. While the young man's father decides to move to Rovenia to take his place as the newly restored king of the impoverished eastern European country, Alex would rather continue leading a low-profile life at his English boarding school. His princely destiny ultimately wins out, however, and Alex must learn to shoulder the responsibility not only for himself but also for his family and the vulnerable young nation. Noting that "there are no easy answers" for Wyatt's teen protagonist, School Library Journal reviewer Sharon Rawlins called Raising the Griffin a "powerfully affecting novel that avoids cliché and the expected fairy-tale ending." In Kliatt, Heather Rader also enjoyed Wyatt's debut. Comparing the novel to the popular "Princess Diaries" books by Meg Cabot, Rader commented that "the characters ring true … and the pace is nonstop." Todd Morning, writing in Booklist, predicted that Wyatt's "serious, realistic" tale "will draw plenty of young readers with Alex's taut, first-person narration of his predicaments."

Discussing her writing career on her home page, Wyatt explained that she decided to write for a young-adult audience because "it's the age group that excites me the most. Think about what's going on in your life between the ages of twelve and eighteen. It's all about change inside and out. I'm not talking about your body. I'm talking about how you begin to see yourself fitting into the world. And it's about making choices; New, exciting, and sometimes scary ones. And since change and choice are conflict and conflict is the basis of great stories, what could be better to write about?"