Q & A with Todd Strasser

July 28, 2016 | News about
• Todd Strasser

Bullying, school shootings, and homelessness are some of the weightier topics Todd Strasser has tackled in his novels, but he’s also dabbled in more lighthearted fare, including his Help! I’m Trapped… series for middle-grade readers. The author drew from his own childhood to write Fallout, which Candlewick will publish September 10. The book marks a significant milestone for the author, as it is his 100th original work of fiction (his oeuvre also includes a number of novelizations). In the novel, set on Strasser’s Long Island, N.Y., childhood turf, Scott’s father builds the only bomb shelter in the neighborhood as the Cold War heats up in 1962. Strasser’s father did the same, but happily the family never had to take put the shelter to use. Scott’s family isn’t so lucky.-Publishers Weekly