Books with author Han Nolan

It's 1963 and fourteen-year-old Esther Young is looking for excitement. Cursed with a lack of talent in a family filled with artistic types, Esther vows to get some attention by initiating a summer romance with a black teen accused of murdering a white man in Alabama.King-Roy Johnson shows up on Esther's doorstep that summer, an angry young man who feels betrayed by the nonviolent teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. Sent north by his mother to escape a lynch mob, he meets a follower of Malcolm X's who uses radical teachings about black revolution to fuel King-Roy's anger and frustration. But with each other's help, both Esther and King-Roy learn the true nature of integrity and find the power to stand up for what is right and true. National Book Award-winning author Han Nolan brings readers a bold new voice--by turns funny and poignant, innocent and worldly--in this powerful coming-of-age story set during the turbulent struggle for civil rights.

Hilary hates Jews. As part of a neo-Nazi gang in her town, she's finally found a sense of belonging. But when she's critically injured in an accident, everything changes.Somehow, in her mind, she has become Chana, a Jewish girl fighting for her own life in the ghettos and concentration camps of World War II.Han Nolan offers powerful insight into one young woman's survival through the Holocaust and another's journey out of hatred and self-loathing.Reader's guide and an interview with the author included.

It's 1963 and fourteen-year-old Esther Young is looking for excitement. Cursed with a lack of talent in a family filled with artistic types, Esther vows to get some attention by initiating a summer romance with a black teen accused of murdering a white man in Alabama.King-Roy Johnson shows up on Esther's doorstep that summer, an angry young man who feels betrayed by the nonviolent teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. Sent north by his mother to escape a lynch mob, he meets a follower of Malcolm X's who uses radical teachings about black revolution to fuel King-Roy's anger and frustration. But with each other's help, both Esther and King-Roy learn the true nature of integrity and find the power to stand up for what is right and true. National Book Award-winning author Han Nolan brings readers a bold new voice--by turns funny and poignant, innocent and worldly--in this powerful coming-of-age story set during the turbulent struggle for civil rights.

Miracle McCloy is the child of a talented dancer, who died in childbirth, and a brilliant, reclusive novelist. Raised by her grandmother Gigi, a psychic, Miracle becomes a dancer herself, and a loner who believes in mystical spirits and auras. Then her father disappears. When no one can give an explanation, or even a version of the truth, Miracle becomes obsessed with contacting him and bringing him back. As she loses herself in her quest, she loses her self? and, in a last, desperate attempt, sends her life up in flames. In the page-turning tradition of best-selling novels I Never Promised You a Rose Garden and The Bell Jar, Dancing on the Edge gives readers a story? and a heroine? they will never forget. "Nolan dives into the mind of an emotionally disturbed girl in an intense, exceptionally well-written novel?The shadows of truth, suffering, self-expression, and repression are examined without psychobabble in this sad, funny, and tender story."? Kirkus Reviews, pointer review"Nolan does a masterful job of drawing readers into the girl's mind and making them care deeply about her chances for the future." ? School Library Journal, starred review

Hilary hates Jews. As part of a neo-Nazi gang in her town, she's finally found a sense of belonging. But when she's critically injured in an accident, everything changes.Somehow, in her mind, she has become Chana, a Jewish girl fighting for her own life in the ghettos and concentration camps of World War II.Han Nolan offers powerful insight into one young woman's survival through the Holocaust and another's journey out of hatred and self-loathing.Reader's guide and an interview with the author included.

A National Book Award–winning author’s “moving” novel about “the emotional costs of mental illness, especially on teens forced to parent their own parents” (Booklist, starred review). His mother has died. His father is going crazy. For fifteen-year-old Jason, the only relief as he tries to hold things together is the group of imaginary friends who offer guidance as he tries not to draw attention to his father’s deteriorating condition—or to himself. But between the traumas of his childhood and the squalor and stress he’s dealing with right now, Jason’s attempts to remain invisible may not be enough. To find a solution to this very real problem, he just might have to reach out to some very real people . . . In this compelling story by the author of Dancing on the Edge, Han Nolan “balances weighty subject matter with humor, offering an intelligent portrayal of a boy’s slow release of burdens too heavy to carry alone” (Publishers Weekly).

It's 1963 and fourteen-year-old Esther Young is looking for excitement. Cursed with a lack of talent in a family filled with artistic types, Esther vows to get some attention by initiating a summer romance with a black teen accused of murdering a white man in Alabama.King-Roy Johnson shows up on Esther's doorstep that summer, an angry young man who feels betrayed by the nonviolent teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. Sent north by his mother to escape a lynch mob, he meets a follower of Malcolm X's who uses radical teachings about black revolution to fuel King-Roy's anger and frustration. But with each other's help, both Esther and King-Roy learn the true nature of integrity and find the power to stand up for what is right and true. National Book Award-winning author Han Nolan brings readers a bold new voice--by turns funny and poignant, innocent and worldly--in this powerful coming-of-age story set during the turbulent struggle for civil rights.

Leshaya is a survivor. Rescued from the brink of death, this child of a heroin addict has seen it all: revolving foster homes, physical abuse, an unwanted pregnancy. Now, as her tumultuous childhood is coming to an end, she is determined to make a life for herself by doing the only thing that makes her feel whole . . . singing.Han Nolan pulls no punches in this hard-hitting story of a girl at the bottom who dreams of nothing but the top.

Leshaya is a survivor. Rescued from the brink of death, this child of a heroin addict has seen it all: revolving foster homes, physical abuse, an unwanted pregnancy. Now, as her tumultuous childhood is coming to an end, she is determined to make a life for herself by doing the only thing that makes her feel whole . . . singing.Han Nolan pulls no punches in this hard-hitting story of a girl at the bottom who dreams of nothing but the top. The ebook includes a sample chapter from PREGNANT PAUSE.

The National Book Award-winning novel of a young girl’s coming of age, from the author of Send Me Down a Miracle. Twelve-year-old Miracle McCloy never liked the story of her remarkable birth, but her grandmother Gigi has always loved telling it. An expert in occult magic, Gigi insists that when Miracle was saved from her dead mother’s womb, it was an omen of greatness to come. But how can Miracle become a prodigy like her father when sometimes she feels like she doesn’t even exist? When her father suddenly vanishes without a trace, Miracle’s life starts feeling less miraculous by the day. The only time she feels whole is when she’s dancing—an activity her grandmother strictly forbids. But shortly after her thirteenth birthday, a life-threatening incident puts her whole world in a harsh new light. And though she does not emerge unscathed, Miracle might finally see the truth about her past, her family, and herself. “Extraordinary . . . Nolan does a masterful job of drawing readers into the girl’s mind and of making them care deeply about her chances for the future.” —School Library Journal (starred review) “Elaborately drawn characters that will surprise readers at every turn . . . Compelling.” —Booklist (starred review)

Powerful fiction from National Book Award-winning author Han Nolan.Fifteen-year-old Jason has fallen on bad times—his mother has died and his father has succumbed to mental illness. As he tries to hold his crazy father and their crumbling home together, Jason relies on a host of imaginary friends for guidance. Both heartbreaking and funny, Crazy provides more of the intense and compelling characters Han Nolan is praised for.