about the book
When the Taliban took control of her home of Swat Valley in Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai refused to let them stop her from having an education. Her own father and mother continued to encourage her to learn, as her father owned the school she went to and encouraged all kids—boys and girls—in the area to get educated.
The Taliban did not like this, and took it out on Malala. They boarded her school bus one day and shot her in the head at point blank range….
She survived.
Now Malala, only a teenager, has become known worldwide as a peace maker, the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Her story is inspiring innumerable people across the world to stand up for basic civil rights for women.
about the authors
Malala Yousafzai was born in 1997 in the town of Mingora in Pakistan. She has two younger brothers, and when she was young she had a pet chicken. Though the Taliban made it illegal, Malala was educated by her father, Ziauddin, who owns a chain of schools in Pakistan.
Malala got her start in activism when at the age of about eleven she started a blog using a pseudonym, writing for the BBC about her life under the rule of the Taliban. This led her to more and more activism, and soon she could no longer hide her true identity.
After the assassination attempt, Malala was moved to Birmingham, England, where she recovered and now lives, continuing to advocate and fight for women’s educational rights.
Sources:
Author interview : The Daily Show
Author speech : Nobel Peace Prize
Author biography: Wikipedia
Patricia McCormick grew up in a bland suburban neighborhood feeling lonely and out of place. This feeling of being misplaced is a central theme in her books. Even in fourth grade, she knew she was going to be a writer. She used to trudge back and forth to school, carrying her dad’s old briefcase stuffed with the plays and stories she had written.
Patricia received a bachelor’s degree from Rosemount College, a master’s in journalism from Columbia University, and a Master of Fine Arts from The New School. She has taught after-school literacy classes at a public school in Queens, as well as creative writing and journalism classes.
Besides teaching, Patricia penned an entertainment column for The New York Times, was a contributing editor for Parents Magazine, and wrote articles for several other magazines. She has published six novels for young adults.
The parents of two grown sons, Patricia and her husband live Manhattan with their two nosy cats. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, modern dance, and biking.
Sources:
Author website
Author interview : Publishers Weekly
Author biography: Harper Collins
Also by Patricia McCormick:
Never Fall Down. Balzer + Bray. 2012.
Purple Heart. Harper Collins. 2009.
Sold. Hyperion Press. 2006.
My Brother’s Keeper. Hyperion Books for Children. 2005.
Cut. Front Street. 2000.
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