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Todd Strasser

Goodreads Author

Born

in New York, New York, The United States

May 05, 1950

Website

http://www.toddstrasser.com/

Twitter

Toddstrasser

Genre

Memoir, Young Adult, Historical Fiction

Member Since

February 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/todds

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Todd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 novels for adults, young-adults, and middle graders.

His most recent novel is Summer of '69

Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."

Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and Todd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 novels for adults, young-adults, and middle graders.

His most recent novel is Summer of '69

Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."

Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and life on the cusp of adulthood. Readers fascinated with this time period will find much to enjoy... Vietnam, Woodstock, road trips, and acid trips: a sweetly bittersweet, surprising, even melancholy bildungsroman set against a world in flux. Groovy, man."

His most recent young adult novel is Price of Duty:
2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
“Compact and suspenseful, the novel raises important questions about war.” – Kirkus
“This thought-provoking book is both welcome and imperative.” – Booklist * (starred review).
"Rather than attempting to sway the reader, it offers awareness." - VOYA
“Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal

Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.

All the while, Todd wrote songs and poems and lots of letters to his friends back home. Finally he decided to try being a writer. He returned to the United States and went to Beloit College where he studied literature and writing.

After college, Todd worked at the Middletown Times Herald-Record newspaper in Middletown, New York, and later at Compton Advertising in New York City. In 1978, Todd sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues. He used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company. For the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.

Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to spend time with his children and dog, Cooper. He still likes to play tennis and ski, but his favorite new sport is surfing. ...more

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Combine Editions
Todd Strasser’s books

Average rating: 3.72 · 76,872 ratings · 9,328 reviews · 217 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Wave 3.62 avg rating — 41,320 ratings — published 1981 — 50 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Give a Boy a Gun 3.79 avg rating — 8,477 ratings — published 2000 — 32 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Boot Camp 3.90 avg rating — 6,037 ratings — published 2006 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Wish You Were Dead (Thrillogy, #1) 3.80 avg rating — 4,262 ratings — published 2009 — 29 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Fallout 3.74 avg rating — 3,772 ratings — published 2012 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Can't Get There from Here 3.97 avg rating — 3,127 ratings — published 2004 — 31 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	If I Grow Up 4.14 avg rating — 1,771 ratings — published 2009 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Blood on My Hands (Thrillogy, #2) 3.74 avg rating — 1,864 ratings — published 2010 — 23 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Home Alone 2: Lost in New York by Todd Strasser (Goodreads Author), John Hughes 4.09 avg rating — 1,163 ratings — published 1992 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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
	Kill You Last (Thrillogy, #3) 3.71 avg rating — 1,105 ratings — published 2011 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. 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 Todd Strasser…

16 posts
Todd Strasser's Blog

YES, I DON’T REMEMBER WOODSTOCK

Just about everybody over the age of 60, it seems, knows someone who went to Woodstock. The original crowd estimate was around 400,000, but thanks to the movie, web sites, books and other media relating to the event, almost anyone can recite in detail what it was like: The rain, the lack of food and shelter, the amazing, and not so amazing performances, the wonderful feeling of togetherness despit Read more of this blog post »

1 like · Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 13, 2019 07:25 • Tags: 1960s, 1960s-rock-and-roll, acid-trip, antiwar, counterculture, drugs, freaks, hippies, lsd, psychedelics-marijuana, road-trip, rock-and-roll, sex-drugs-rock-n-roll, tie-dye, war-in-vietnam, woodstock

View all 16 posts »

Series by Todd Strasser

Thrillogy (3 books)
by

Todd Strasser (Goodreads Author)

3.77 avg rating — 7,231 ratings

Help! I'm Trapped... (17 books)
by

Todd Strasser (Goodreads Author)

3.65 avg rating — 3,554 ratings

Home Alone Novelizations (3 books)
by

Todd Strasser (Goodreads Author),

John Hughes (Produced by)

4.04 avg rating — 1,813 ratings

Soundview High (3 books)
by

Todd Strasser (Goodreads Author)

3.41 avg rating — 908 ratings

Mob Princess (3 books)
by

Todd Strasser (Goodreads Author)

3.74 avg rating — 725 ratings

More series by Todd Strasser…

Todd is Currently Reading

Todd Strasser is currently reading

Winston Churchill: An Intimate Portrait

by Violet Bonham Carter

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Nov 28, 2018 12:08PM

Todd Strasser is currently reading

Early Work

by Andrew Martin (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Nov 28, 2018 12:07PM

Quotes by Todd Strasser (?)

“There's more to life then living, so hold on.”
― Todd Strasser

tags: carpe-diem, life

44 likes

“The story you are about to read is a work of fiction. Nothing - and everything - about it is real.”
― Todd Strasser

tags: fiction, nonfiction, on-fiction, reality

36 likes

“fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice, shame on me.”
― Todd Strasser, Count Your Blessings

26 likes

See all Todd Strasser's quotes »

Polls

What themed YA book (urban setting) would you like to read for March's group read?

Matched by Ally Condie

18 votes, 23.1%

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

18 votes, 23.1%

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn

11 votes, 14.1%

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

7 votes, 9.0%

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

6 votes, 7.7%

No and Me by Delphine de Vigan

6 votes, 7.7%

Firespell by Chloe Neill

4 votes, 5.1%

Timeless by Alexandra Monir

4 votes, 5.1%

Can't Get There from Here by Todd Strasser

3 votes, 3.8%

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

1 vote, 1.3%

78 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread)	2785	1207	Nov 30, 2010 09:03PM
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100+ Books in 2025: Tabitha's 100 in 2010-COMPLETED	52	74	Jan 03, 2011 06:14AM
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Wild Things: YA G...: Bullying books and Links	15	68	Apr 12, 2011 04:13AM
Cover to Cover Ch...: Luce's 100(+) of 2011	17	23	Jul 24, 2011 08:21PM
The Seasonal Read...: * Summer Challenge 2011 Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS)	2614	897	Aug 31, 2011 09:18PM

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Todd’s Quotes

“Of course it would be great to sell lots and lots of copies of The Beast of Cretacea. But the bottom line for me is to sell enough copies to convince my publisher to let me do a sequel. I spent three years creating the world of Cretacea and the personalities of all the characters who inhabit it. All I want to do now is go back.”
― todd strasser

tags: sequels

5 likes

“Deadlines are like a drug for me. I hate and need them.”
― Todd Strasser

2 likes

“What does it take to be a writer? 1) Foolhardily believing that someone might actually be interested in reading what you've written. 2) Spending an enormous amount of time writing it as well as you can. 3) Accepting that, at best, you'll probably be paid something around 25 cents an hour for your efforts.”
― Todd Strasser

tags: humorous-quotes

2 likes