Morton Rhue
Encyclopedia
Todd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 young-adult and middle grade novel
s and novelization
s, some written under the pen names Morton Rhue and T.S. Rue.
After studying literature in college, Strasser earned his living working as a journalist, also operated his own fortune cookie company, producing cookies under the "Dr. Wing Tip Shoo" brand name. He is the father of two children, and an avid tennis player, skier, and surfer.
Strasser has written many award-winning novels for young adults and teens, picking controversial themes
like Nazism, bullying at schools, homelessness, school shootings, and sexuality. His works include Give a Boy a Gun, Boot Camp, Asphalt Tribe and most recently, If I Grow Up. His most famous work The Wave
, is a novelization of a social experiment that happened in Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California in 1969, and was made into a television movie in 1981 and a popular feature film in 2008. This book has been translated into more than a dozen languages and is read in schools around the world.
Strasser is also the author of the Time Zone High trilogy, How I Changed My Life, How I Created My Perfect Prom Date, and How I Spent My Last Night on Earth. How I Created My Perfect Prom Date was adapted for the feature film Drive Me Crazy
, starring Adrian Grenier
and Melissa Joan Hart
(a movie in which Strasser was reportedly not pleased with).
Other novels for young adults include The Accident, which became the television movie Over the Limit, as well as Angel Dust Blues, Friends Till the End, and A Very Touchy Subject. The latter also became a television movie, entitled Can a Guy Say No? Another novel, Workin' For Peanuts, was adapted to a television movie with the same title.
He is currently at work on a "thrillogy," three mystery thrillers for older YA readers. The first two of these novels, Wish You Were Dead, and Blood on My Hands, have been published. The third book in the thrillogy will appear in 2011.They bring a thrilling mystery to the table while still holding lots of information.
Strasser has also written a number of young adult series, including Impact Zone (about surfing), Drift X (about drift car competitions), and Here Comes Heavenly (about a punk nanny with magical powers).
His books for middle-graders include CON-fidence, The Diving Bell, and Abe Lincoln for Class President. His series for middle graders include the very popular 16-book Help! I'm Trapped...
collection, as well as the Don't Get Caught, Against the Odds, and Camp Run-A-Muck books. Most recently he wrote "Is That a Dead Dog in Your Locker?" "Is That a Sick Cat in Your Backpack?" Is That a Glow-In-The-Dark Bunny in Your Pillow Case?" "Is That an Angry Penguin in Your Gym Bag?" and "Is That an Unlucky Leprechaun In Your Lunch?"
Strasser has also published articles and short stories in The New Yorker, Esquire
, and The New York Times.
With the frigid winds of January come a new girl: Tears, (real name: Nikki Frimer) a twelve-year-old whose mother loves her but does not believe Tears when Tears tells her that her stepfather has been sexually abusing her. As the other kids start to disappear-victims of violence, addiction, and exposure-Maybe tries to help Tears get off the streets... and she hopes that it is not too late to do so. Maybe then seeks the help of Anthony, the city's librarian and together, they send Tears back to Hundred, West Virginia
, which was her hometown to live with her grandparents.
And Maybe realizes that if you try you can get to a better life and that living on the streets doesn't have to be the only lifetime example for life including Todd dad.
series consists of four horror novels set at a luxurious mountain hotel. The inn is the site of many horrific acts of murder and ghostly revenge. All four installments were published in 1993.
who gets his 3 chat room friends to save the world from Year 2000 problem
) and Hey Dad! Get a Life.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s and novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
s, some written under the pen names Morton Rhue and T.S. Rue.
After studying literature in college, Strasser earned his living working as a journalist, also operated his own fortune cookie company, producing cookies under the "Dr. Wing Tip Shoo" brand name. He is the father of two children, and an avid tennis player, skier, and surfer.
Strasser has written many award-winning novels for young adults and teens, picking controversial themes
Theme (literature)
A theme is a broad, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character,...
like Nazism, bullying at schools, homelessness, school shootings, and sexuality. His works include Give a Boy a Gun, Boot Camp, Asphalt Tribe and most recently, If I Grow Up. His most famous work The Wave
The Wave (book)
The Wave is a 1981 young adult novel by Todd Strasser under the pen name Morton Rhue. It is a novelization of a teleplay by Johnny Dawkins for the movie The Wave, a fictionalized account of the "Third Wave" teaching experiment by Ron Jones that took place in a Cubberley High School history class in...
, is a novelization of a social experiment that happened in Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California in 1969, and was made into a television movie in 1981 and a popular feature film in 2008. This book has been translated into more than a dozen languages and is read in schools around the world.
Strasser is also the author of the Time Zone High trilogy, How I Changed My Life, How I Created My Perfect Prom Date, and How I Spent My Last Night on Earth. How I Created My Perfect Prom Date was adapted for the feature film Drive Me Crazy
Drive Me Crazy
-Tracklisting:# " Crazy " - Britney Spears# "Unforgetful You" - Jars of Clay# "I Want It That Way " - Backstreet Boys# "It's All Been Done" - Barenaked Ladies# "Stranded" - Plumb...
, starring Adrian Grenier
Adrian Grenier
Adrian Grenier is an American actor, musician and director. He is best known for his lead role on the HBO original series, Entourage, as Vincent Chase.-Early life:...
and Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Hart
Melissa Joan Catherine Hart is an American actress, writer, television director, television producer, singer and businesswoman...
(a movie in which Strasser was reportedly not pleased with).
Other novels for young adults include The Accident, which became the television movie Over the Limit, as well as Angel Dust Blues, Friends Till the End, and A Very Touchy Subject. The latter also became a television movie, entitled Can a Guy Say No? Another novel, Workin' For Peanuts, was adapted to a television movie with the same title.
He is currently at work on a "thrillogy," three mystery thrillers for older YA readers. The first two of these novels, Wish You Were Dead, and Blood on My Hands, have been published. The third book in the thrillogy will appear in 2011.They bring a thrilling mystery to the table while still holding lots of information.
Strasser has also written a number of young adult series, including Impact Zone (about surfing), Drift X (about drift car competitions), and Here Comes Heavenly (about a punk nanny with magical powers).
His books for middle-graders include CON-fidence, The Diving Bell, and Abe Lincoln for Class President. His series for middle graders include the very popular 16-book Help! I'm Trapped...
Help! I'm Trapped...
Help! I'm Trapped... is a series of 17 books written by Todd Strasser, published by Scholastic Press. With worldwide sales of over 10 million copies, the plots mainly center around a group of children and a machine that has the power to switch bodies....
collection, as well as the Don't Get Caught, Against the Odds, and Camp Run-A-Muck books. Most recently he wrote "Is That a Dead Dog in Your Locker?" "Is That a Sick Cat in Your Backpack?" Is That a Glow-In-The-Dark Bunny in Your Pillow Case?" "Is That an Angry Penguin in Your Gym Bag?" and "Is That an Unlucky Leprechaun In Your Lunch?"
Strasser has also published articles and short stories in The New Yorker, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, and The New York Times.
Can't Get There from Here
Can't Get There from Here is about a group of homeless teenagers in Manhattan who struggle to survive a harsh winter.s Maybe (the main character) has to deal with the death of many of her friends during the winter. She lives with a tribe of homeless teens-runaways and thrownaways, kids who have no place to go other than the cold city streets, and no family except for one another. Abused, abandoned, and forgotten, they struggle against the cold, hunger, and constant danger.With the frigid winds of January come a new girl: Tears, (real name: Nikki Frimer) a twelve-year-old whose mother loves her but does not believe Tears when Tears tells her that her stepfather has been sexually abusing her. As the other kids start to disappear-victims of violence, addiction, and exposure-Maybe tries to help Tears get off the streets... and she hopes that it is not too late to do so. Maybe then seeks the help of Anthony, the city's librarian and together, they send Tears back to Hundred, West Virginia
Hundred, West Virginia
Hundred is a town in Wetzel County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 344 at the 2000 census. It was named for Henry Church and his wife, the first settlers who lived to be 109 and 106. Hundred is the only place in the United States with this name.Hundred is so named because Henry...
, which was her hometown to live with her grandparents.
And Maybe realizes that if you try you can get to a better life and that living on the streets doesn't have to be the only lifetime example for life including Todd dad.
Boot Camp
This novel is about a young man who is sent to a physically abusive boot camp by his parents.Give a Boy a Gun
The book Give a Boy a Gun was written as a series of interviews from Middletown High School, which was a recent location of a school shooting. Teachers, friends, and students give their versions of their time with Brendan sand Gary, the two perpetrators of the shooting, from the beginning of ninth and tenth grades, and the day of the attack, which eventually led to the suicide of Gary (Brendan was severely beaten by students but it is unknown if he survived. Eventually the courts had to decide whether to disconnect his life support or not).Nightmare Inn
The Nightmare InnNightmare Inn
Nightmare Inn is a series of young adult horror novels by Todd Strasser, who penned the books using the pseudonym T. S. Rue...
series consists of four horror novels set at a luxurious mountain hotel. The inn is the site of many horrific acts of murder and ghostly revenge. All four installments were published in 1993.
Help! I'm Trapped...
He is also popular for the Help!s I'm Trapped... series of seventeen books written 1993-2001.Wish you were Dead
Lucy goes missing after Str-S-d wrote on their blog that she wish Lucy was dead. Str-S-d keeps writing about the popular kids in school pick on her and make fun of her. When Lucy's boyfriend goes missing the town doesn't know what to do. They are scared for their children's lives. Str-S-d thinks this is just coincidence, when she talked about Adam, Lucy's boyfriend. But soon after she writes about Madsison, the main character, Best friend she ends up missing. Madison feels its her because Lucy, Adam, and Courtney were friends. Tyler a boy who Madison has a crush on, seems to know about this, but won't tell Madison about it. She wants to hear about his opinion, but is afraid what this will lead to. Soon she finds out who Str-S-d and the cyberstalker Madison has. That leads her to the real killer.Other books
Strasser has also written separate stories including Kidnap Kids (about two siblings who kidnap their parents), Y2K-9 (about a dogDog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
who gets his 3 chat room friends to save the world from Year 2000 problem
Year 2000 problem
The Year 2000 problem was a problem for both digital and non-digital documentation and data storage situations which resulted from the practice of abbreviating a four-digit year to two digits.In computer programs, the practice of representing the year with two...
) and Hey Dad! Get a Life.
List of works
- The WaveThe Wave (book)The Wave is a 1981 young adult novel by Todd Strasser under the pen name Morton Rhue. It is a novelization of a teleplay by Johnny Dawkins for the movie The Wave, a fictionalized account of the "Third Wave" teaching experiment by Ron Jones that took place in a Cubberley High School history class in...
. New York: Dell, 1981; Laurel Leaf/Dell, 1985; Puffin Books 1988, ISBN 0-14-037188-5.s Also made into an ABC television show (1981) and a German movie (2008) - "Young Adult Books: Stalking the Teen." Horn Book Magazine, vol. 62, no. 2 (1986, Mar.-Apr.), pp. 236–239.
- The Accident. New York: Delacorte, 1988. Adapted for television in the ABC Afterschool SpecialABC Afterschool SpecialThe ABC Afterschool Special is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from 1972 to 1996, usually in the late afternoon on week days. Most of the episodes were dramatic presentations of situations, often controversial, of interest to children and teenagers. Several episodes were...
Over the Limit (1990). - How I Created my Perfect Prom Date. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996. Originally published as Girl Gives Birth to Own Prom Date (1996) and later adapted into the film Drive Me Crazy (1999).
- Give a Boy a GunGive a Boy a GunGive a Boy a Gun is a book written by Todd Strasser. The storyline, which is constructed by quotations made by characters in this fictional book, almost mimics and is based on the Columbine High School Massacre on April 20, 1999.-Summary:...
. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000; Simon Pulse 2002, ISBN 0-689-84893-5 - Thief of Dreams, Putnam Juvenile 2003, ISBN 0-399-23135-8
- Can't Get There from Here, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-689-84169-8
- Slide or Die. Simon Pulse 2006, ISBN 1-4169-0581-2 Drift X Series
- Battle Drift
- Sidewgayz Glory
- Wish u were dead