Anatomy of a Misfit

Andrea Portes is the bestselling novelist of two critically lauded adult novels, Hick, her debut, which was made into a feature film starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Alec Baldwin, Blake Lively, Eddie Redmayne, and Juliette Lewis, and Bury This. Her first novel for young adult readers, Anatomy of a Misfit, was called "perfection in book form" by Teen Vogue. Andrea grew up shuffled around between such disparate locales as Nebraska, Brasilia, Texas, Rio de Janeiro, Baltimore, North Dakota, California, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. Finally Andrea was granted relief from this nomadic existence when she was accepted to Bryn Mawr College. She attended on a full scholarship and later graduated cum laude, with a major in English literature. She then earned her Masters in Fine Arts degree from UC San Diego. After her relentless education, Andrea moved to the neighborhood of Echo Park in Los Angeles, where she spent years mostly getting into trouble. It was in this period of vague nothingness that Andrea penned her debut novel, in longhand in three notebooks. Currently she lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Sandy Tolan, their son, Wyatt, and their dog, Rascal. You can visit her online at www.andreaportes.com.

"It's rare that a book can be as funny and absolutely delightful as it is moving and thought provoking, and Anatomy of a Misfit is both." -- Lauren Oliver, author of Before I Fall "A self-deprecating and highly memorable heroine whose bawdy, laceratingly funny narration makes her instantly endearing while also revealing her flaws, uncertainties, and ethical quandaries." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "... a romance filled with seriously funny dark humor and tragedy." -- Kirkus "Anika's observations are razor-sharp, especially when she is describing other people... An introductory note says the story is based on the author's ninth-grade experience. What a year." -- The Horn Book "Anika's droll voice shines, and her emotions are palpable. After a heartbreaking tragedy, Anika's ending ... will leave readers cheering." -- School Library Journal "Fifteen-year-old Anika Dragomir throws her arms around us and draws us in from the very beginning... Droll, intimate, often laugh-out-loud funny narration carries the reader through more than 300 pages... Anika's winning voice may just be the star of Portes's first young adult novel." -- New York Times Book Review "Anika Dragomir is the funniest, snarkiest, most insightful misfit a reader could ever hope to meet. I laughed my way through Anatomy of a Misfit right up until the very end, when the book broke my heart into a million pieces. This is a beautiful, brave and powerful novel." -- Melissa Kantor, author of Maybe One Day and The Breakup Bible