Joan Bauer is an American writer of young adult literature. The main characters in her books are usually teenagers dealing with complicated family issues. Her debut novel, Squashed, was published in 1992. Her best known book, Hope Was Here, was a Newbery Honor Book in 2001. Over the past three decades she has continued to write books for teens, including Close to Home, Rules of the Road, Soar, Stand Tall, Peeled, and Thwonk. Born in River Forest, Illinois, Bauer currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
