Considered a groundbreaking author of young adult literature as well as one of its most controversial contributors, Paul Zindel is well known as the creator of realistic novels that depict the teenage milieu with authenticity, humor, and panache. In addition to his books for young adults, he is the writer of several well-received plays for adults--The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds received the Pulitzer Prize in 1971--as well as screenplays, an erotic mystery novel, a picture book, and mysteries and supernatural fiction for middle graders and young people. Zindel is best known for writing The Pigman, a novel published in 1968 that is recognized as one of the first works for adolescents to deepen the content of young adult literature. The story of two teenagers who become friends with an elderly widower and end up betraying his trust, The Pigman established a pattern that Zindel uses...