Schneider, Robyn 1986–

Personal

Born May 5, 1986, in Orange County, CA. Education: Barnard College, degree (pre-med and English).

Addresses

E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Author. Laugh Factory, New York, NY, improv actor.

Writings

Better than Yesterday, Delacorte Press (New York, NY), 2007.

The Social Climber's Guide to High School, illustrated by Kerrie Hess, Simon Pulse (New York, NY), 2007.

Sidelights

Robyn Schneider has garnered media attention for being a precocious novelist. At age thirteen she completed her first novel and by age eighteen she had her first novel published. In an online interview for Young Adult Writers, she explained that several events prompted her to write her first young-adult novel, among them the tragic death of a friend and a car accident that left Schneider with injuries. That book, published as Better than Yesterday, deals with the changes that occur in the relationships among four teenage friends as they embark on their senior year in preparatory school. A Kirkus Reviews critic, reviewing Schneider's novel, commented while the book starts off at a slow pace, it will grab readers' attention as the plot develops. Schneider "understands her characters' quirks and insecurities," the critic concluded. Likewise, Debbie Carton wrote in her review of Better than Yesterday for Booklist that Schneider possesses the ability to capture "realistic teen thoughts and dialogue."

In an online interview with Amy Brozio-Andrews for Absolute Write, Schneider noted that "the knowledge of what I did wrong, and how my earlier plots and characters didn't work out … is invaluable. It makes me really stop and think before I start writing something." On her home page, she offered advice to would-be writers, recommending that newbies begin by writing short stories. "You can finish them in a relatively short amount of time, which helps you work on plot and character," Schneider offered. Also, she added, "write as much as you can, as many different things as you can."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 1, 2007, Debbie Carton, review of Better than Yesterday, p. 41.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May, 2007, Karen Coats, review of Better than Yesterday, p. 384.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2006, review of Better than Yesterday, p. 1226.

Kliatt, April, 2007, Myrna Marler, review of Better than Yesterday, p. 18; September, 2007, Amanda MacGregor, review of Better than Yesterday, p. 36.

School Library Journal, April, 2007, Heather E. Miller, review of Better than Yesterday, p. 148; September, 2007, Emily Garrett, review of Better than Yesterday, p. 220.

ONLINE

Absolute Write Web site,http://www.absolutewrite.com/ (January 6, 2008), Amy Brozio-Andrews, interview with Schneider.

Children's Bookwatch Web site,http://www.midwestbookreview.com/ (May 1, 2007), review of Better than Yesterday.

Robyn Schneider Home Page, http://robynschneider.com (January 6, 2008).

Young Adult Writers Web site, http://www.geocities.com/youngadultwriters/ (January 6, 2008), "Robyn Schneider: 20-Year-Old Up-Town Girl and Prep-School Writer!"