Hannigan, Katherine

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Hannigan, Katherine

PERSONAL: Born in western NY. Education: State University of New York, B.S., 1987, B.F.A., 1997; Rochester Institute of Technology, M.F.A., 1991.

ADDRESSES: Home—IA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Greenwillow Press/HarperCollins Children's Books, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Educator and writer. Head Start, former education coordinator; instructor at Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY, and Niagara County Community College, Sanborn, NY; Iowa State University, Ames, instructor in drawing, then assistant professor of art and design, 2001–c. 04; full-time writer.

AWARDS, HONORS: Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book designation, Best Book of the Year designations from School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Child magazine, and Gold Award, Parents' Choice, all 2005, all for Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World.

WRITINGS:

Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World, Green-willow Press (New York, NY), 2004.

ADAPTATIONS: Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World was adapted as an audiobook read by Lili Taylor, Books on Tape, 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Two stories for middle-grade children.

SIDELIGHTS: Growing up in western New York, Katherine Hannigan was constantly surrounded by books, rodents adopted as family pets, and stray cats and dogs. With a vivid imagination, she developed a knack for creating stories involving playthings, such as a pair of clay figures which she manipulated from behind her second-grade pop-up desk; paper characters cut from her Valentine's Day cards; and the dolls populating her closet and who starred in Hanni-gan's early theatrical performances. Continuing to draw on that imagination as an adult, Hannigan is the author of the entertaining middle-school novel Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World.

Before beginning her writing career, Hannigan studied art in New York and obtained bachelor's and master's degrees in painting. After teaching in upstate New York for several years, she moved west, teaching art and design at Iowa State University. While in Iowa, Hannigan once again found inspiration in her surroundings, and she began to develop the title character for her first children's book. Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World was still in its draft stage when Hannigan decided to take a writing workshop conducted by children's author Kate DiCamillo in 2002. After Hannigan submitted a chapter from her unpublished work and won the praise of DiCamillo, DiCamillo passed along the manuscript to a literary agent and the novel was published by Greenwillow Books in 2004. Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World became a New York Times best-seller and won numerous accolades from critics.

In an interview with an online BookBrowse contributor, Hannigan noted that her title character, Ida B, was developed from "a love of laughter," and "a fondness for people with a good dose of punkishness in them." Ida B is, indeed, a distinctive and "unforgettable heroine" as School Library Journal contributor Faith Brautigam declared. A Publishers Weekly critic also remarked that heroine Ida B is a "firecracker of a character." In the book nine-year-old Ida B speaks to the trees and the brooks that surround her family farm and spends the majority of her free time making arts and crafts. Ida B has been home-schooled throughout her life and enjoys the freedom and tranquility of being taught at home. Things drastically change for the girl, however, when her mother develops cancer and her parents decide to sell a portion of the apple grove—which also happens to Ida B's playground—to help pay medical bills. Matters are exacerbated when Ida B is sent to public school, but it is at this point that the girl decides to deal directly with the changes that are taking place around her. As pressures mount, she becomes an embittered nine-year-old and feels as if every thing in her life has betrayed her.

Reviewing Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World, critics hailed Hannigan for her ability to realistically portray the mind-set of a nine-year-old. Faith Brautigam, writing in School Library Journal, noted that "Ida B is a true character in every sense of the word." Likewise, Booklist contributor Ilene Cooper commented on Hannigan's ability to fully capture "the fury [that] children can experience" and "the tenacity with which they can hold on to their anger." Another tactic Hannigan employs can be seen in the resolution of the author's story, as Ida B begins to appreciate the changes in her life. Susan Dove Lempke stated that Hannigan "skillfully depicts the slow climb back … where Ida B can allow herself to express happiness again."

With her adept skills in characterization, plot, storyline, and writing style, Hannigan impressed many critics. Ilene Cooper, writing in Booklist, noted that "Hannigan gets it down brilliantly," while a Publishers Weekly reviewer regarded Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World as an "insightful, seemingly intuitive first novel." In a similar fashion, a Kirkus Reviews critic noted that the book is a "funny debut from a promising new author," while Horn Book contributor Susan Dove Lempke, described Hannigan as "clearly an author to watch."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September, 2004, Ilene Cooper, review of Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World, p. 1924; January 1, 2004, Jennifer Mattson, interview with Hannigan, p. 843.

Horn Book, November-December, 2004, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World, p. 709.

Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2004, review of Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World, p. 686.

Publishers Weekly, July 26, 2004, review of Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World, p. 55; September 13, 2004, review of audio cassette Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World, p. 36; December 12, 2004, Jennifer M. Brown, "Katherine Hannigan," pp. 30-34.

School Library Journal, August, 2004, Faith Brautigam, review of Ida B … and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World, p. 122.