The Schwa Was Here
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Author | Neal Shusterman |
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Language | English |
Genre | Young adult novel |
Publisher | Dutton Penguin |
Publication date | 2004 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
Pages | 228 pp |
ISBN | 978-0-525-47182-0 |
OCLC | 54852781 |
LC Class | PZ7.S55987 Sbe 2004 |
The Schwa Was Here is a young adult novel by Neal Shusterman, published by Dutton Penguin in 2004. It is about an eighth-grader's friendship with another student named Calvin Schwa, who goes almost completely unnoticed by the people around him.
Inspiration
Neal Shusterman stated in an interview[1],that he was inspired to write the book upon doing a Q&A in a school, and not noticing a kid with his hand raised in the middle of the group. Remarking in the interview that upon noticing this he thought, "I want to write a story about an unnoticeable kid and we were in the school library and he was sitting in front of the big dictionary and I thought, well, this kid is kind of like a schwa — that unnoticeable sound in the English language. And that's where the idea came from."
Reception
The book received critical acclaim upon its release, receiving a starred review from School Library Journal[2] and a positive review from Booklist.[3] It also received the 2005 Boston Globe/Horn Book Magazine award for fiction and poetry.[4]
Adaptations
The book has reportedly been optioned by The Disney Channel for a telefilm project. Shusterman, who worked with the channel on the project Pixel Perfect, was lined up to write the script for the project.[5]
It has also been adapted into a three act play by Kory Howard, and was performed for the first time ever in February 2017, by the Manti High School Theatre Department.
References
- ^ Adlit.org. URL accessed December 8 2019.
- ^ School Library Journal, October 2004, p176.
- ^ Booklist, 2004.
- ^ Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards. URL accessed 18 April 2007.
- ^ Kimberly Nordyke: "'Schwa' noticed by Disney Channel." Hollywood Reporter, 14 November 2006.
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