Lowell, Pamela

Personal

Female. Education: Rutgers University, M.A. (social work), 1984. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, writing, kayaking, snorkeling, walking her dog.

Addresses

Home and office—East Bay, RI. Agent—c/o Susan Schulman, 454 W. 44th St., New York, NY 10036-5205.

Career

Author and therapist.

Awards, Honors

Top-Shelf Fiction for Middle-School Readers, Voice of Youth Advocates Quick Picks for Reluctant Young-Adult Readers, American Library Association, and Books for the Teen Age designation, New York Public Library, all 2007, all for Returnable Girl.

Writings

Survival Meditations for Parents of Teens, illustrated by Lisa Cutri-Mazur, Pauline Books & Media (Boston, MA), 2004.

Returnable Girl (young-adult novel), Marshall Cavendish (Tarrytown, NY), 2006.

Sidelights

As a therapist and author, Pamela Lowell's goal is to encourage readers to open lines of communication. Lowell works with young teens and their families, and as a therapist she has counseled teens dealing with eating disorders, depression, and trauma. Inspired by this work, her young-adult novel Returnable Girl centers on thirteen-year-old Veronica Hartman. Placed in foster care, Veronica finds herself torn between her caring, adoptive mother and her wish to reunite with her birth mother. Lowell adds to Veronica's story by including a subplot centering on the young teen's desire to win the approval of the popular kids at school. In her review of the novel for School Library Journal, Riva Pollard praised its "truly believable teenage narrative voice," concluding that Returnable Girl is an "engrossing, well-plotted, and impressive read." Likewise, a Kirkus Reviews critic commented that Lowell's debut novel is a "convincing portrait of a troubled 13-year-old girl," that offers much to its readers.

In an online interview with YA Fresh, Lowell advised novice writers to make their dreams a reality by getting professional writing advice: "Don't waste time (or years) trying to figure this out by yourself. Another set of eyes may be just what you need to make your dreams come true."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, November 15, 2006, Hazel Rochman, review of Returnable Girl, p. 59.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2006, review of Returnable Girl, p. 960.

School Library Journal, October, 2006, Riva Pollard, review of Returnable Girl, p. 160.

Voice of Youth Advocates, February, 2007, Laura Woodruff, review of Returnable Girl, p. 528.

ONLINE

Children's Bookwatch Web site,http://www.midwestbookreview.com/ (December 1, 2006), review of Returnable Girl.

Pamela Lowell Home Page,http://www.pamelalowell.com (January 2, 2008).

YA Fresh Web site,http://yafresh.blogspot.com/ (March 26, 2007), Kelly Parra, interview with Lowell.