Wilson, N.D. 1978- (Nathan D. Wilson)

Personal

Born February 7, 1978; married; children: four children. Education: St. John's College (Annapolis, MD), M.A. Hobbies and other interests: Home repairs, playing with his children.

Addresses

Home—Moscow, ID. E-mail—contact@ndwilson.com.

Career

Educator and writer. New St. Andrews College, Moscow, ID, lecturer in English, 2001-04, fellow of literature, 2004—. Has appeared on television programs, including Discovery Channel News, ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning, America, and Daily Show.

Writings

100 Cupboards, Random House (New York, NY), 2007.

Leepike Ridge, Random House (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor of short stories to periodicals, including Chattahoochee Review and Esquire, and of essays to Books & Culture.

Sidelights

N.D. Wilson's novels 100 Cupboards and Leepike Ridge feature tales of suspense that are aimed at middle-school audiences. In 100 Cupboards, twelve-year-old Henry discovers that one hundred cupboards are hidden behind the walls and locked doors of his aunt and uncle's otherwise ordinary farmhouse in Kansas. These cupboards open upon alternate worlds, some of them benign and others dangerous. When Henry and his cousin Henrietta open the one hundredth cupboard, they unlock a portal to alternate worlds from which evildoers may come to threaten them. "Fans of dark fantasy will be intrigued by the unknown realities awaiting these unsuspecting people," noted Robyn Gioia in her review of Wilson's novel for School Library Journal. In Kirkus Reviews a critic called 100 Cupboards a "highly imaginative tale that successfully balances its hero's inner and outer struggles."

Frustrated by his widowed mother's new suitor, Tom Hammond sneaks away to float down a river on a piece of packing foam in Leepike Ridge. Pulled into one and then another strong current, Tom finds himself marooned inside an underwater cave, and as his mother searches for him on dry land, the boy explores the cavern and finds clues about its previous history. Rumors of hidden treasure have lured others into the cave, and Tom is torn between his need to escape and his curiosity about the possible secrets he might find within the mountain. According to Vicky Smith in Horn Book, Wilson "sets the scene vividly" in a novel that the critic described as a "fast-paced adventure." In her School Library Journal review of Leepike Ridge, Kim Dare wrote that "Wilson's rich imagination and his quirky characters are a true delight" in a novel the critic dubbed "utterly captivating."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2007, Kathleen Isaacs, review of Leepike Ridge, p. 60; December 1, 2007, Cindy Dobrez, review of 100 Cupboards, p. 38.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July-August, 2007, Elizabeth Bush, review of Leepike Ridge, p. 492; January, 2008, Elizabeth Bush, review of 100 Cupboards, p. 229.

Horn Book, May-June, 2007, Vicky Smith, review of Leepike Ridge, p. 296; January-February, 2008, Vicky Smith, review of 100 Cupboards, p. 98.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2007, review of Leepike Ridge; November 15, 2007, review of 100 Cupboards.

School Library Journal, May, 2007, Kim Dare, review of Leepike Ridge, p. 147; April, 2008, Robyn Gioia, review of 100 Cupboards, p. 152.

ONLINE

N.D. Wilson Home Page,http://www.ndwilson.com (October 20, 2008).