"There are two things you can count on in a book by Joan Bauer. One, it will make you laugh. And two, the girl who is telling the story will be really good at something, but not something you'd expect," Amazon.com reviewer Patty Campbell commented in a review of Bauer's 1999 novel Backwater. Bauer, an advertising salesperson-turned-writer, has written five books, which have earned her a reputation as a deft spinner of engaging, off-beat tales about young adult themes. "While the general perception of young adult literature is that it's all dark and depressing, many worthy writers of the genre produce work of wit and hilarity," noted "Rising Star" a monthly website feature of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. "Joan Bauer is Exhibit A in this category; her characters' narration is smart, funny, and original."

In a 1996 Alan Review article entitled "Humor, Seriously," Bauer explained...