Stephanie S. Tolan

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born

The United States

gender

female

website

http://www.stephanietolan.com/

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Stephanie S. Tolan's earliest memories involve books. Those that were read to her and those she read to herself, often late at night with a flashlight under the covers. She always thought there was a special magic in the little black marks on paper that could turn into whole worlds and real people. Born in Ohio and raised in Wisconsin, she wrote her first story in the fourth grade. It was thrilling to discover she could make the magic herself, and she decided then and there to be a writer.

Other ambitions came and went, but writing stayed on, and she majored in creative writing at Purdue University, then went on to a Master's Degree in English. Marriage and the sudden addition to her life of three young stepsons, and then a son, forced writi...more Stephanie S. Tolan's earliest memories involve books. Those that were read to her and those she read to herself, often late at night with a flashlight under the covers. She always thought there was a special magic in the little black marks on paper that could turn into whole worlds and real people. Born in Ohio and raised in Wisconsin, she wrote her first story in the fourth grade. It was thrilling to discover she could make the magic herself, and she decided then and there to be a writer.

Other ambitions came and went, but writing stayed on, and she majored in creative writing at Purdue University, then went on to a Master's Degree in English. Marriage and the sudden addition to her life of three young stepsons, and then a son, forced writing into the nooks and crannies, but she wrote poetry and plays for adults as she taught college English. In the mid-seventies, Stephanie began working in the Poets-in-the-Schools program in Pennsylvania. Her first group of students were fourth and fifth graders, and she found among them a new generation of intense readers, still using the flashlight-under-the-covers trick.

"They brought back to me that special reading joy that most adults, even the readers among us, have lost, and I wanted to try my hand at writing for those kids, so like myself at their age and yet so different."

The difference, she felt, was less in the children themselves than in the fast-changing world they lived in. Her writing for children and young adults, beginning with Grandpa -- And Me in 1978, has reflected that contemporary world.
Stephanie Tolan is also well known as an advocate for extremely bright children. She co-authored the award-winning nonfiction book, Guiding the Gifted Child, and has written many articles about the challenges gifted "asynchronous" children and adults face as they find a way to fit into their world. She lectures throughout the country to audiences of parents, educators and counselors attempting to find ways to meet the children's needs. Her experiences with these "amazing, off-the-charts" young people inspired the themes of Welcome to the Ark, a powerful novel about four brilliant young misfits in a world teetering on destruction.
Stephanie Tolan currently lives in Charlotte, NC, with her husband.(less)

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Stephanie S. Tolan's Books

Average rating: 3.66 · 6,963 ratings · 694 reviews · 31 distinct works · Similar authors

	Surviving the Applewhites (Applewhites Family, #1) 3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 avg rating — 5,283 ratings — published 2002 — 16 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Listen! 3.97 of 5 stars 3.97 avg rating — 791 ratings — published 2006 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Welcome to the Ark (Ark, #1) 3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 avg rating — 355 ratings — published 1996 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Applewhites at Wit's End (Applewhites Family, #2) 3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 avg rating — 165 ratings — published 2011 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Plague Year 3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 avg rating — 73 ratings — published 1990 — 8 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wishworks, Inc. by Stephanie S. Tolan, Amy June Bates (Illustrator) 3.17 of 5 stars 3.17 avg rating — 82 ratings — published 2009 — 3 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Flight of the Raven (Ark, #2) 3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 avg rating — 71 ratings — published 2001 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ordinary Miracles 3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 1999 — 4 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Who's There? 3.52 of 5 stars 3.52 avg rating — 25 ratings — published 1994 — 4 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Good Courage 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 1988 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Stephanie S. Tolan…

Series by Stephanie S. Tolan

Applewhites Family (2 books)
by Stephanie S. Tolan
3.607562408223201 of 5 stars 3.61 avg rating — 5,448 ratings

Ark (2 books)
by Stephanie S. Tolan
3.8215962441314555 of 5 stars 3.82 avg rating — 426 ratings

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Quotes by Stephanie S. Tolan

“How do we know imagination isn't just a different way of knowing something? A message from outside.”
― Stephanie S. Tolan, Welcome to the Ark

5 people liked it

“Education is an adventurous quest for the meaning of life, involving an ability to think things through. --Z. Applewhite.”
― Stephanie S. Tolan

4 people liked it

“Kids learn not so much from what they're taught as from what they do.”
― Stephanie S. Tolan, Applewhites at Wit's End

2 people liked it

See all Stephanie S. Tolan's quotes »

Polls

What book would you like to read in July with the book club?

Legend by Marie Lu

12 votes, 52.2%

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

4 votes, 17.4%

Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff

3 votes, 13.0%

The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon

2 votes, 8.7%

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan

2 votes, 8.7%

Cluing in by Jo Ramsey

0 votes, 0.0%

The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken

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A Song for Bijou by Josh Farrar

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Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller

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The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl by Virginia Hamilton

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23 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Newbery Award...: 2003 Honor - Surviving the Applewhites	1	3	Feb 08, 2010 09:46am
Cover to Cover Ch...: CindyAnn's 2010 List	12	22	Dec 05, 2010 04:44pm
Book Club/Troubles: A-Z Book Game	92	8	Oct 30, 2011 09:23pm
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC!	2299	549	Nov 30, 2011 09:05pm
JoCo Library Teens: Random Chat [a.k.a. "The Annie Folder"]	5064	50	Jan 01, 2012 08:35pm
Fans of Amish Fic...: Brittany's 2012 Reading Challenge	5	41	Nov 18, 2012 02:14pm

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Stephanie S. Tolan

Author profile

combine editionsStephanie S. Tolan's Books

Series by Stephanie S. Tolan

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Stephanie S. Tolan

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Stephanie S. Tolan's Books