Although Todd Strasser's name rarely appears on high school reading lists, he is one of the most productive and successful authors of young adult literature in the United States. He published his first novel at the age of twenty-nine and went on to write another thirteen books for teen-age readers in the following thirteen years. A great number of these novels have been honored by prestigious awards, including Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association for Friends Till the End and Rock 'n' Roll Nights. In addition to his fourteen books for young adult readers, Strasser has written one adult novel The Family Man, which was published in 1988.

Born on May 5, 1950, in New York City, Strasser represents the younger generation of young adult novelists. In the 1960s when the genre experienced a major shift towards a more realistic and truthful representation...