Archer, Lily 1981–

PERSONAL:

Born 1981.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—New York, NY.

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

The Poison Apples, Feiwel & Friends (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

The Poison Apples, the debut novel by New York-based writer Lily Archer, updates the classic evil stepmother fairy tale. In Archer's revisioning, three girls of different backgrounds find themselves attending an exclusive Massachusetts boarding school after their home lives are disrupted by the entrance of new stepmothers. Molly, Alice, and Reena discover their shared troubles, christen themselves the Poison Apples, and begin to methodically plot a fitting revenge.

A critic for Kirkus Reviews wrote of The Poison Apples that the girls "are not really mean enough to exact the punishment they want," but that the plotting and complaints should appeal to young audiences. Gillian Engberg wrote in Booklist that while some of Archer's "characters and situations fit neatly into stock categories, [her] … story's predictability and exaggerated, made-for-teen-film scenarios won't deter readers." Also enthusiastic, a Publishers Weekly reviewer dubbed The Poison Apples "a wickedly funny debut."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of The Poison Apples, p. 44.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, November, 2007, Karen Coates, review of The Poison Apples, p. 127.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2007, review of The Poison Apples.

Kliatt, September, 2007, Claire Rosser, review of The Poison Apples, p. 6.

Publishers Weekly, July 30, 2007, review of The Poison Apples.

School Library Journal, September, 2007, Miram Lang Budin, review of The Poison Apples, p. 190.

ONLINE

Macmillan Web site,http://us.macmillan.com/ (September 28, 2008), "Lily Archer."