Sapet, Kerrily. Suzanne Collins.

Sapet, Kerrily.  Suzanne Collins.   Morgan Reynolds   2013  112p  $28.95  978-1-59935-346-3       series: World Writers #7      ms/hs       VG-BNS

     

This biography provides an account of both the professional and personal life of Suzanne Collins, author of the acclaimed Hunger Games and Gregor the Overlander series.  Collins grew up as the daughter of a career Air Force officer.  Her childhood was strongly molded by the various military posts on which the family lived and her father’s time of service in Vietnam, and these themes are reflected in her writings.  Through interviews and first-person accounts, the book carefully describes the effect that her childhood had on her career and discusses her education, her brief stint as an actor, her early work as a writer for both adult and children’s television series, and her entry into the world of YA books with her first Gregor book.  The writing is interesting, clear, and informative, and it is presented in an entertaining manner.  The biography also gives detailed and helpful tidbits about the characters and the plots of her books and is enhanced by full-color photographs of the author and the actors in the movies.  The book ends with a timeline, source notes, an extensive bibliography, and an index.  It is sure to appeal to fans of Collins.  

World Writers’ newest additions include books about Suzanne Collins, Harper Lee, and Rick Riordan among its sixteen titles.  Each provides an account of the personal and professional life of the writer and allows readers to grasp the themes and deeper meanings treated by some of their favorite authors.

Suzanne Collins                                             --Susan Ogintz