Awards & Reviews

   

First recipient of the Iowa Wild Rose Award, for a body of work, 2010.

“The Dare,” HALF-MINUTE HORRORS anthology, HarperCollins, 2009.

GAMES: a tale of two bullies, HarperCollins, 2007

       Nominated 2010 Truman Book Award, Missouri
Nominated 2010 Intermediate Sequoyah Book Award, Oklahoma
Kansas Recommended Reading List, 2008-2009
New York City Public Library’s, “Books for the Teen Age,” 2008.

       “A veteran author of preteen literature, Gorman is too expert to take the expected route of making one boy the villain and the other the victim….Gorman is incisive about the
psychological underpinnings of bullying. True to title and true to life, they’re both at fault.
Both Mick and Boot are grappling with home issues so overwhelming that they seek relief in baiting, taunting, shoving and slugging. No one sees that at first, including the reader. The boys’ personalities and situations emerge, day by day, in alternating chapters, as they face off over the board game in the principal’s office….Quick-witted, fast-moving and uncannily attuned to middle-school life, ‘Games’ is likely to entertain and intrigue young readers of all types.” –Cleveland Plain Dealer

       “The plot is taut and compelling, with deft, sympathetic characterization, memorable scenes, and right-on description of the middle-school culture….A must-read for adolescents and those trying to understand them.” –School Library Journal

       “This novel is a great book for middle-school student, well-scripted, realistic, and
entertaining. The characters are true and understandable, and what Mick and Book struggle through makes them the heroes of their own lives.” –VOYA

       “Gorman, the author of Dork in Disguise and other books for younger YAs, tells the tale
with humor and flair. The ending provides drama as Mick and Boot discover which wars are worth waging.” –KLIATT

       “[The characters’] paths to greater understanding and maturity are well-developed. Best of all, Gorman effectively and memorably captures the elusive middle-school mind-set.” –
Booklist

       “This is a must-read for middle schools.” –Andersons Bookshop, Naperville, IL

STUMPTOWN KID, Peachtree Publishes, 2005

      Nominated 2010 Nutmeg Book Award (Connecticut)
      Nominated 2009 Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Florida)
      Nominated 2008 Iowa Teen Award
      Nominated 2008 Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award
      Nominated 2008 South Carolina Children’s Book Award
      Nominated 2008 Sasquatch Reading Award (Washington)
      Nominated 2007 Alabama Children’s Choice Award
      Nominated 2006 Keystone State (Pennsylvania) Reading Association Young
Adult Book 
Award
      Nominated 2006 Great Stone Face Award, New Hampshire
      Honorable Mention, 2005 Outstanding Books Award, Gustavus Myers Center for the  Study of Bigotry and Human Rights
      Sale to Scholastic Book Fairs
      Sale to Audio Bookshelf

      “Themes of honesty, loyalty, and heroism are embedded in this powerful, fast-paced
story….Readers will enjoy this winning mix of sports, suspense, and heroism, and delight in the baseball wit and wisdom.”             –School Library Journal.

      “…poignant story….Young readers will discover how prejudice can destroy individuals
and communities while honesty and heroism create true strength and enduring bonds.”
–Des Moines Register

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DORK, HarperCollins, 2004.

       Nominated 2007 Sequoyah Children’s Book Award, Oklahoma
Sale to UK

       “With both humor and charm, Gorman illustratse middle-school life in the face of students’ concerns about popularity and              bullying….This honest portrayal of preteen socialization will entertain and enlighten.” –School Library Journal

       “Gorman nails the complex social structures of the sixth-grade world, making this an
entertaining addition to the series.” –Booklist

     

DORK ON THE RUN, HarperCollins, 2002.

       Nominated 2007 Iowa Children’s Choice Award

Nominated 2005 Garden State (NJ) Children’s Book Award

Sale to UK

“If there was ever a quintessential book on dealing with bullies, this is it….Dork on the
run is a winner as a thoughtful read and a discussion starter.”—School Library  Journal

       “…a fast-paced story that will appeal to the dork in us all.” –The Horn Book

 

DORK IN DISGUISE, HarperCollins, 1999

Winner  2002 Mark Twain Award, Missouri
Winner 2002 Sequoyah Children’s Book Award, Oklahoma
Winner 2002 Washington State Sasquatch Reading Award
Winner 2002 South Carolina Junior Book Award
Winner 2002 West Virginia Book Award
Honor Book, 2004 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award
       Nominated 2005 Maud Hart Lovelace Award (MN)
       Nominated 2002 South Dakota Prairie Pasque Children’s Book Award
       Nominated 2003 Iowa Children’s Choice Award
       Nominated 2003 Florida Sunshine State Young Readers’ Award

       Sale to Troll Book Club
       Sale to Scholastic Book Club
       Sale to Finland
       Sale to UK

“Hilarious novel, wonderfully constructed and beautifully paced.”—Booklist

       “If Bill Nye the Science Guy ever inspired a novel, it’s this one about Jerry Flack, the sixth-grade science whiz who reinvents himself as one of the cool kids at his new middle school….the book gives realistic attention to the preteen school scene….Gorman also works in some way-cool science facts that…come to life in Jerry’s science project: a hovercraft built from a vacuum-cleaner engine. Go ahead and encourage kids to try this at home.”—Recommended. The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Humor keeps the plot jumping, yet the novel’s resolution is admirably restrained. A
breezy, enjoyable book.”—The Horn Book

“Wonderfully accurate novel….Gorman not only knows how to set up a good story, with dialogue that is neither trite nor unnecessarily brazen, she also understands, or never forgot, the social structure of pre-teen cliques.”—Washington Post

 

LIZARD FLANAGAN, SUPERMODEL?? HarperCollins, 1998.

“Lizard is a refreshing character.”—School Library Journal

“The perfect sequel to The Miraculous Makeover of Lizard Flanagan.”—Booklist.

Sale to Sweden.

 

BACK FROM THE DEAD, Avon, 1995.

“A roller coaster read.” –Parade Magazine’s young adult supplement, React

 

THE MIRACULOUS MAKEOVER OF LIZARD FLANAGAN, HarperCollins, 1994.

American Booksellers Association “Pick of the Lists”
Chosen by the National Council of Teachers of English for “An Annotated Booklist
for Middle School and Junior High”

“Hilarious….The characters and their problems are particularly well-drawn,
and Gorman approaches preteen issues with a refreshing sense and good humor                   that will appeal  to middle-grade readers everywhere.”—Booklist

 

JENNIFER-THE-JERK IS MISSING, Simon & Schuster, 1994

Nominated 1995 Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award
Sale to France

“A cozy comic mystery…Jennifer and Malcolm are so daring and clever that the rescue              –involving laundry and garbage trucks and Jennifer’s stunned chauffeur–is                               suspenseful as well as funny. A pleasantly thrilling escapade.” –Kirkus

 

I WITNESS series, Concordia:
The Taming of Roberta Parsley, 1994
Brian’s Footsteps, 1994
Million-Dollar Winner!, 1994
The Rumor, 1994

 

Graveyard Moon, Avon, 1993.

An International Reading Association Young Adult Choice winner.
Chosen by the National Council of Teachers of English for “An Annotated Booklist
for Middle School and Junior High”

 

TREE HOUSE KIDS series, Concordia

The Biggest Bully in Brookdale, 1992
       It’s Not Fair, 1992
       The Richest Kid in the World, 1993
       Nobody’s Friend, 1993
       The Great Director, 1994
       Skin Deep, 1994

 

DIE FOR ME, Avon, 1992.6

An International Reading Association-Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice
winner
Sale to Germany

 

T. J. AND THE PIRATE WHO WOULDN’T GO HOME

 

THE GOLDEN GIRL, Sweet Dreams series, Cloverdale, 1990.

 

PORNOGRAPHY, Franklin Watts, 1988.

Selected for the New York City Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age”
Starred review:  School Library Journal
Starred review: Booklist

 

AMERICA’S FARM CRISIS, Franklin Watts, 1987.

Selected for the New York City Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age”

 

CHELSEY AND THE GREEN-HAIRED KID, Houghton Mifflin (hardcover), 1987; Pocket
Books (paperback), 1999; Perfection Learning Corporation, 2003.

Ethical Cultural Book Award, 1988
       ALA Recommended Book for the Reluctant Reader
       Nominated 1989 Iowa Children’s Choice Awar
       Nominated 1989 Florida Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award

       Nominated 1990 Virginia Reader’s Award
       Nominated 1994 Maude Hart Lovelace Young Reader’s Award (Minnesota)
       Recommended by Ladies’ Home Journal, “How to Get Your Kids to Love Books”

###

Short stories  (for adults):

 “The Death Cat of Hester Street,” Cat Crimes Through Time anthology. Carroll & Graf,
1998
     “One of the truly entertaining entries is Carol Gorman’s `The Death Cat of Hester Street,’ set in late-19th-century New York.”—Publisher’s Weekly.

       “I also enjoyed Carol Gorman’s `The Death Cat of Hester Street,’ set in old New York. A superstitious Yiddish mama worries about her unmarried daughter, while the unmarried daughter worries about keeping her job during a crime wave. Gorman’s characters come to life on Hester Street.”—Mystery News

 “Till Death Do Us Part,” anthology. Berkley, 1999.

 “Pretty Little Molly,” Fathers and Daughters anthology. E.P. Dutton, 2000.

###

Articles (for adults):

 “The Mayberry Method,” LADY’S CIRCLE, 1984.

 “The Critical Last Step, Revision,” FROM INSPIRATION TO PUBLICATION, The Institute of Children’s Literature, 2000

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *