 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| A HEART DIVIDED co-written with Jeff Gottesfeld (novel: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2004) 
Is the Confederate battle flag a racist symbol—or a proud reminder
of Southern heritage? When Kate’s liberal-minded family moves from the suburbs of New York City to a small town near Nashville, Kate is convinced her life is over. Redford lives up to Kate’s low expectations. The Confederate battle flag waves proudly in the sky, the local diner serves grits and sweet tea, and country music rules the airwaves. Then she meets Jackson Redford III, scion of the town and embodiment of everything Dixie. And dang if brilliant, gorgeous Jack doesn’t make Kate decide that maybe her new hometown isn’t so bad after all. But a petition to replace the school’s Confederate flag symbol is stirring up trouble. Kate dives right in, not afraid to attack what she sees as offensive. Getting involved means making enemies, though, and soon, Kate and Jack—and their families—find themselves pitted against each other in a bitter controversy: not just about the flag, but about what it means to be an American. "Would make a fine one-two punch with Arthur Miller's The Crucible in a high school classroom."A Heart Divided available at amazon.com, bn.com, and your local bookstore. ANNE FRANK AND ME co-written with Jeff Gottesfeld (novel: Putnam, 2001) (play: Dramatic Publishing Company 1997) 
As a novel....this work about modern American teens, Holocaust denial,
and the Nazi Occupation of Paris, adapted by Cherie and Jeff from
their 1997 hit play. Buddy Elias, Anne Frank's last surviving direct
relative and president of the Anne Frank-fonds Foundation in Switzerland,
says this about ANNE FRANK AND ME: "It is excellent, wonderfully suited for young people to learn about the Holocaust and to get to know Anne Frank. It is interesting, exciting and true to the facts, which is not always the case."Impeccably researched, with rave reviews in VOYA and Kliatt, and a special paperback school edition published by Scholastic, this novel is sweeping through middle and high schools across North America. As a play, the work has been performed all across North America, by professional and amateur/school groups alike. "Eloquent and poignant. The message is clear. The impact is powerful." Anne Frank and Me available at amazon.com, bn.com, and your local bookstore. ZINK (novel: Delacorte, 1999, Dell 2000) (play: Dramatic Publishing Company, 1998) 
Cherie thinks this could be the best thing she's written. Inspired
by a true story, this is a novel about a sixth-grader's battle with
leukemia, and her relationship with a mythic herd of talking zebras
in Africa. Cherie adapted ZINK from her award-winning 1997 play of
the same title (see review quotes below). ZINK is illustrated by teens
and pre-teens who are either battling cancer, in remission from cancer,
or who have lost a sibling to cancer. Talk about true courage! There's
a Random House Children's Books teacher's guide available, and Cherie
herself recorded the book-on-tape for Records Books, Inc. Teachers
and educators should also contact the Zink the Zebra Foundation (zinkthezebra.org)
for a wonderful curriculum about diversity. There's even a Zink merit
badge available, through Zink the Zebra foundation, through Girl Scouts
of America! "This tale of a young leukemia victim will elicit both tears and laughter" Zink available at amazon.com, bn.com, and your local bookstore. LIFE IN THE FAT LANE (Delacorte, 1998, Bantam 1999)  Lara
Ardeche has it all. Homecoming queen as a junior, great looks, and
awesome boyfriend, and you can't even hate her because she's so…nice.
Then, she starts gaining weight. A lot of weight. Uncontrollably.
And soon, Lara Ardeche is living life in the fat lane. One of the
great mother-daughter reads of the last ten years, LIFE IN THE FAT
LANE has prompted intense discussion whenever it read and has many
girls declaring: "I couldn't put this book down." Starred review, Kirkus. Boxed review, Booklist. Starred review, VOYA. Coverage in newspapers from Charlotte to San Diego, from Salon.com to Nashville. "This book offers a full measure of wisdom and hope." Life in the Fat Lane available at amazon.com, bn.com, and your local bookstore. SEARCHING FOR DAVID'S HEART (novel: Scholastic, 1998) (play: Dramatic Publishing Company, 2002) 
The book that could. Never reviewed because it was an original paperback,
DAVID'S HEART has sold more than 175,000 copies, is slated to be a
2003 Disney Channel movie, and inspired Cherie to write her award-winning
play of the same name. All because teens told other teens, "You gotta
read this book!" It is part of the Scholastic iREACH program, the
only paperback original fiction on that short list of award-winning
and famous titles. Life at Darcy's house isn't always easy. Money is tight, and her parents argue a lot. Darcy is shy and quiet with most people, but it's not like that with her brother David. David is her soul mate. Until David gets a girlfriend, that is, and starts to treat Darcy like a pest. Darcy is hurt and humiliated, and one day they have a huge fight. Darcy tells David she hates him, then runs off. David chases after her…and is killed in a terrible accident. Darcy is sure his death is her fault. When David's heart is transplanted, Darcy comes to realize that if she can find the person who got David's heart, she will have found her brother in some way, and she can say all the things she never got a chance to say. And so, the search for David's heart begins. --from Scholastic's own description of DAVID'S HEART. Cherie's play of the same title (Dramatic Publishing Company, 2002) won the 1999 Aurand Harris Children's Playwriting Award, the 1998 Kennedy Center's "New Visions/New Voices award," the 2000 American Alliance for Theater and Education's Unpublished Playreading Project, and a 1998 Bonderman biennial certificate of award. It's available to schools now for production: contact Dramatic at (815) 338-7170. Searching for David's Heart available at amazon.com, bn.com, and your local bookstore. |
 |
