Yeardley Smith, voice of Lisa Simpson on The Simpsons, has authored a new children’s book, I, Lorelei which just published in February from Harper-Collins.
Yeardley’s official site describes the novel as a “funny, poignant story about lasting friendship and coping with change, as told by smart, sassy, 11 year-old Lorelei Lee Connelly. Lorelei’s unique take on everything from her crazy family, to her debut in the ill-fated school play, is chronicled with sparkling authenticity in diary entries addressed to her beloved, recently-deceased cat, Mud.”
Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley’s Simpsons co-star, calls the book “delightful” and “charming.” She adds, “Once I got the book, I honestly couldn’t put it down. Lorelei is bright and smart and has keenness not usually associated with teens, much less ‘tweens’…[and Yeardley] actually extrends its’ readership to include adults of all ages. To me, she carries an awareness of the world around her as her parents’ relationship crumbles and her friends at school evaluate and invalidate each other as a matter of course. This brings out an acerbic quality to her, but she is so darn likeable that it pulls the reader closer to Lorelei’s world.”
Excerpts from the novel, including an audio clip of Yeardley narrating, are available at ILorelei.com.
In related news, Yeardley’s site mentions that she will appear in two upcoming feature films: High School (scheduled for a 2010 release), starring Adrien Brody and Michael Chiklis; and Tug, starring Haylie Duff (voice actor Dana Snyder also has a minor role in the film) which is slated for theaters in 2009. Yeardley also executive produced and starred in the indie feature, Waiting for Ophelia [link: official movie trailer] which may also release in 2009.
MovieJungle.com also has a two-part video interview with Yeardley where she discusses Lisa Simpson, the new season of The Simpsons, her new book, and her upcoming film roles.
Sources: NancyCartwright.com, IMDb.com