Matthew Tobin Anderson

For other people named Matt Anderson, see Matt Anderson (disambiguation).

Matthew Tobin Anderson, known as M. T. Anderson, is an American author, primarily of picture books for children and novels for young adults. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Biography

Born November 4, 1968, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Anderson attended St. Mark's School, Harvard, University of Cambridge, and Syracuse. He worked at Candlewick Press before Thirsty was accepted for publication. Anderson is a former instructor at Vermont College in Montpelier, Vermont, and former music critic for The Improper Bostonian.

Anderson's picture books include Handel Who Knew What He Liked, Strange Mr. Satie, The Serpent Came to Gloucester, and Me, All Alone, at the End of the World. He has written such young adult books as Thirsty, Burger Wuss, Feed, The Game of Sunken Places and The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. His novels for middle school readers include the series Pals in Peril, comprising Whales on Stilts, The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen, Jasper Dash and the Flame Pits of Delaware and "Agent Q, or the Smell of danger". Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales featured one of Anderson's short stories.

Anderson is also a board member of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, a national non-profit organization that advocates for literacy, literature, and libraries. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Vermont College of Fine Arts.

After learning Anderson included the Governor’s official mailing address in Jasper Dash and the Flame Pits of Delaware, Governor Jack Markell penned a tongue-in-cheek response, which State Librarian Annie Norman presented to M. T. Anderson in September 2009.

Awards and honors

Handel, Who Knew What He Liked (2001)

honor book, 2002 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award

Feed (2002)

winner, 2002 Los Angeles Times Book Prize

finalist, 2002 National Book Award

honor book, 2003 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 1: The Pox Party (2006)

winner, 2006 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

honor book, 2007 Michael L. Printz Award for literary excellence in young adult literature (Young Adult Library Services Association)

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves (2008)

honor book, 2009 Michael L. Printz Award

Bibliography

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Novels

• Thirsty (1997)
• Burger Wuss (1999)
• Feed (2002)
• The Game of Sunken Places (2004)
• Whales on Stilts (2005 first in series)
• The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen (2006)
• The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party (2006)
• The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves (2008)
• Jasper Dash and the Flame-Pits of Delaware (2009)
• The Suburb Beyond the Stars (2010)
• Agent Q, or, The Smell of Danger (2010).
• The Empire of Gut and Bone (2011).
• Zombie Mommy (2011).

Short fiction

• "Barcarole for Paper and Bones", Shelf Life: Stories by the Book, edited by Gary Paulsen. (Simon & Schuster, 2003).
• "A Brief Guide to the Ghosts of Great Britain" (memoir), Open Your Eyes: Extraordinary Experiences in Faraway Places, edited by Jill Davis. (Viking, 2003). Reprinted in the September/October 2005 issue of the young adult literature magazine Cicada.
• "The Mud and Fever Dialogues", Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, edited by Megan McCafferty. (Three Rivers Press, 2004).
• "Watch and Wake", Gothic: Ten Original Dark Tales, edited by Deborah Noyes. (Candlewick, 2004).
• "My Maturity, In Flames", Guys Write for Guys Read, edited by Jon Scieszka. (Viking, 2005).

Picture books

• Handel, Who Knew What He Liked (2001), illustrated by Kevin Hawkes — biography of George Frideric Handel
• Strange Mr. Satie (2003)
• Me, All Alone, at the End of the World (2004)
• The Serpent Came to Gloucester (2005)

References

• Candlewick Press: Biography: M.T. Anderson.

Interviews:

• Shoemaker, Joel. Hungry for M.T. Anderson. VOYA, June 2004.
• Hennemin, Heidi. "Life-and-Death Competition in an Enchanted World. BookPage. July 2004
• Gallaway, Beth. "A Virtual Visit with M.T. Anderson." July 28, 2005
• Leitich Smith, Cynthia. "Author Interview: MT Anderson on Whales on Stilts. Cynsations. September 12, 2005
• "Children's Bookshelf Chats with M.T. Anderson." Publisher's Weekly. October 5, 2006
• Litericat. "Our Interview with M.T. Anderson. Not Your Mother's Book Club. October 6, 2006
• Horning, Kathleen. "Patriot Games." School Library Journal. November 1, 2006
• Kirkus Reviews. "Exclusive Interview with NBA Winner M.T. Anderson." The Book Standard. November 16, 2006
• NPR. Novel Ideas feature. "M. T. Anderson: Eats Broccoli, Paces, and Hums." November 25, 2006
• Mehegan, David. "Like his protagonists, he's a character study." Boston Globe, 12/19/06
• M.T. Anderson - National Book Festival (Library of Congress), November 2007

External links

• M. T. Anderson author website
• Delaware Governor Jack Markell’s tongue-in-cheek letter to M.T. Anderson, September 14, 2009
• M.T. Anderson: Book Fest 07 Webcast (Library of Congress), September 29, 2007
• Reviews at FantasyLiterature.net