Debbi Michiko Florence
Debbi Michiko Florence is the author of upper middle grade novels Sweet and Sour, Keep It Together, Keiko Carter, Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai, and This Is How I Roll. She has a debut middle grade series called Last Chance Academy. Book 1, A Study in Secrets, is coming on March 11, 2025! She is also the author of three chapter books series including Jasmine Toguchi with four new books, Follow Jasmine as she travels to Japan on vacation! And Debbi co-authored a picture book biography, Niki Nakayama: A Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites.
Her books have received starred reviews, JLG Selections, and inclusion on lists such as Amazon Best Books and the Chicago Public Library Best of the Best.
If you like author Debbi Michiko Florence here is the list of authors you may also like
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Natalie Blitt
Originally from Canada, Natalie Blitt grew up on a steady diet of loyalist adventure stories. It wasn’t until she moved to Chicago after graduating from McGill and receiving a journalism degree from the University of King’s College, that she learned that not everybody sees the loyalists as the heroes. Now living in the Chicago-area, she dreams up young adult novels of a different sort: more kissing, less guns, but always a lot of loyalty. Natalie works at an education think tank and lives with her husband and their three sons. She knows a lot about baseball. She has no choice.
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Natalie is represented by Rena Rossner at the Deborah Harris Agency. -
Sheila M. Averbuch
Sheila M. Averbuch is a former journalist who's interviewed billionaires, hackers and would-be Mars colonists. She co-founded SCBWI Scotland and is author of the middle-grade thriller FRIEND ME (Scholastic 2020) and PITCH YOUR BOOK (ENNclick Editions 2025). She holds a 2019 New Writers Award from the Scottish Book Trust.
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Janet Sumner Johnson
Janet Sumner Johnson lives in Utah with her husband and three kids. She bakes a mean cinnamon twist and eats way more cookies than are good for her, which explains her running habit. Though her full-time occupation as evil tyrant/benevolent dictator (aka mom) takes most of her time, she sneaks in writing at night when her inner funny bone is fully unleashed.
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Anna Staniszewski
Anna Staniszewski lives in the Boston area and teaches in the MFA Writing for Children Program at Simmons University. She's the author of over twenty books for young readers, including the The Dirt Diary series and Clique Here series, the picture books DOGOSAURUS REX and BEAST IN SHOW, and the Once Upon a Fairy Tale chapter book series. You can visit Anna at www.annastan.com or follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/annastanisz.
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Henna Helmi
Henna Helmi is a pen name for the author Henna Helmi Heinonen.
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She is a psychologist and a mother of five children. Her first novel Veljen vaimo was published in 2011. -
Henna Helmi Heinonen
Henna Helmi Heinonen lives in Seinäjoki. She is a psychologist and a mother of five children. Her first novel Veljen vaimo was published in 2011. She writes books also for children under the name Henna Helmi.
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Katie Cotugno
Katie Cotugno is the New York Times bestselling author of seven messy, complicated feminist YA love stories, as well as the adult novel Birds of California (Harper Perennial, 2022). She is also the co-author, with Candace Bushnell, of Rules for Being a Girl. Her books have been honored by the Junior Library Guild, the Bank Street Children’s Book Committee, and the Kentucky Association of School Librarians, among others, and translated into more than fifteen languages. Katie is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, and Argestes, as well as many other literary magazines. She studied Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College and received her MFA in Fiction at Lesley University.
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Phoebe Stone
Before concentrating on creating books for children and young adults, Phoebe Stone had a very successful career established as a fine art's painter. During that time, she received two Vermont Council on the Arts Fellowships in painting and exhibited her work in many museums and galleries all around New England and New York City, and influenced many New England artists with her unique, brightly colored narrative and metaphorical style. "I was already working in sequences," she says, "but at some point I began to realize that I could combine my love for images and words in picture books for children."
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Phoebe's picture books include When Wind Bear Goes Dancing, What Night do the Angels Wander, and Go Away, Shelly Boo! Original art from When Win -
Lisa Papademetriou
Bestselling author Lisa Papademetriou is the author of the 'Confectionately Yours' series, 'Middle School: Big, Fat Liar' and 'Homeroom Diaries' (both with James Patterson), and many other novels for middle grade and young adult readers. Her books have appeared on the Bank Street Best Books of the Year list, the NYPL Books for the Teen Age, and the Texas Lone Star Reading List, among others. A former editor, Lisa has worked for Scholastic, HarperCollins, and DisneyPress, and holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. HarperCollins will publish her next novel, 'A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic', in October 2015.
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Jenny Meyerhoff
"As a child in West Bloomfield, Michigan, Jenny Meyerhoff often read a book a night. In third grade, she readAre You There God? It’s Me, Margaret twenty-one times. Her first attempt at a children’s book, The Leprechaun Who Never Found a Pot of Gold, was written when she was in first grade. From that moment on, Jenny has dreamed of becoming a professional children’s book writer.
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Jenny studied creative writing at the University of Michigan, and received her master’s degree in education at Northwestern University. She then became a kindergarten teacher because, in addition to loving children’s books, Jenny enjoys sitting on the floor. (That’s also why she practices yoga.)
Jenny is now a full-time writer and a full-time mom, which means that she -
Jim Ottaviani
I've worked at news agencies and golf courses in the Chicagoland area, nuclear reactors in the U.S. and Japan, and libraries in Michigan. When I'm not staying up late writing comics about scientists, I'm spraining my ankles and flattening my feet by running on trails. Or I'm reading. I read a lot.
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Elise McMullen-Ciotti
Ashling Lindsay is the illustrator of several books for children, including The Night Box by Louise Greig, which was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal, and The Tide by Clare Helen Welsh, a Crystal Kite Award winner. She is also the illustrator of an Alan Turing biography for the best-selling series Little People, Big Dreams. Ashling Lindsay lives in Belfast, Ireland.
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Mónica Mancillas
Mónica Mancillas is a musician and educator who authors picture books and Middle Grade fiction and non-fiction. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. Her award-winning books include MARIANA AND HER FAMILIA, THE WORRY BALLOON, HOW TO SPEAK IN SPANGLISH, SING IT LIKE CELIA, TACO TUESDAYS, and LEYENDAS/LEGENDS (Chronicle, 2025).
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Sarvenaz Tash
Sarvenaz Tash is the author of of nine novels (and counting) for kids, young adults, and adults including The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love, A Whole Song and Dance, and The Queen of Ocean Parkway. Her books have won awards and recognition from the Junior Library Guild, the American Library Association, Amazon, Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly to name a few. She was born in Tehran, Iran and grew up on Long Island, NY. She received her BFA in Film and Television from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, which means she got to spend most of college running around and making movies (it was a lot of fun). Sarvenaz currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her family.
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Nicki Pau Preto
Nicki Pau Preto is a fantasy author living just outside of Toronto—though her dislike of hockey, snow, and geese makes her the worst Canadian in the country. She studied art and art history in university and worked as a graphic designer before becoming a writer full-time.
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Thomas Lockhaven
So grateful to have won the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award! Thank you!
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You can blame my 7th grade English teacher, Mr. Ownby. I began writing mysteries in middle school, with gripping titles like, The Secret in The Swamp and The Ghost of Hollow Lake—Mr. Ownby, would kindly read them, and then encourage me to keep writing and reading the classics. His words, some day I'll be reading your mysteries with the rest of the world inspired me.
Forty years later, I was able to fulfill my dreams and become a full time writer. When I began writing, I decided that my books would be a safe-haven from the real world. My children's series all have strong messages of perseverance, thinking outside the box, friendship and loyalty. I have a daughter, and as I -
Kaitlyn Cavalancia
Kaitlyn Cavalancia is a YA author who loves to blend genres, infusing contemporary mysteries with magic, murder, and mayhem. Her forthcoming novel, Mystery Royale will be published by Disney-Hyperion on January 7, 2025. The sequel is slated for Spring 2026.
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Alyson Gerber
Alyson Gerber is the NYTimes and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Liars Society series and critically acclaimed, middle grade novels. A former marketing director, Alyson earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School. She grew up in New England and now lives in New York City with her family. Follow her @AlysonGerber and at alysongerber.com
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Rachel Vail
Birth
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I was born on July 25, 1966, in NEW YORK CITY, and grew up in New Rochelle, NY, with my mother, my father, and my younger brother Jon. (And down the street from my future husband, though of course I didn't know that until much later.)
Interests
Some details, I do know-I was very into reading and theater, so I read every book I could get my hands on (especially realistic fiction, either contemporary or historical) and took acting workshops and auditioned for every play in school, camp, or the community. I played Peter Pan, Miss Hannigan in Annie, Benny Southstreet in Guys and Dolls, the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, and lots of extremely memorable chorus parts-for instance, I was "girl number two" in Fiddler on the Roof-the one who said -
Suzanne Nelson
When she was in kindergarten, Suzanne Nelson jotted down in a school keepsake album that she wanted to be a “riter.” Though she clearly had issues with spelling, she persisted, composing cryptic poems about rainbows, fairies, mud, and even "Star Wars" in spiral notebooks all through elementary school. When she was seventeen, she filled four journals with her handwritten first novel, titled “The Dream Keeper.” To escape her chores, she often lied to her parents about what time her shift started at the local fast food joint so that she could spend an extra hour writing in the parking lot in her mom’s faded Buick. Her first published novel was The Sound of Munich, followed by Heart and Salsa, The Ghoul Next Door, Cake Pop Crush, and Dead in th
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Yuta Takahashi
Yuta Takahashi is the award-winning author of the eight-book series Meals to Remember at the Chibineko Kitchen as well as several other popular series spanning historical and contemporary fiction. He was born in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, and now lives in Tokyo.
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Jessica Kim
Jessica Kim writes about Asian American girls finding their way in the world. Before she was an author, Jessica studied education at UC Berkeley and spent ten years teaching third, fourth, and fifth grades in public schools. Like Yumi, Jessica lives with her family in Southern California and can’t get enough Hot Cheetos, stand-up comedy, and Korean barbecue.
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Meera Sriram
Meera Sriram draws from her life straddling the East and West to tell stories. She is an award-winning author of several picture books including A GIFT FOR AMMA, DUMPLING DAY, A GARDEN IN MY HANDS, and THE SPICE BOX. Her books have been selected Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal, APALA (Asian Pacific American Librarians Association), and Bank Street College, and have received starred reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, and Publishers Weekly. Her work has been included in several state reading lists, featured in The New York Times, and has been translated into many different languages. Meera loves woodsy hikes and urban murals, and lives with her family in Berkeley, California. For more information, please visit: http://www.meerasriram.c
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Lyla Lee
Lyla Lee is the bestselling author of books for all ages. Inspired by her Korean heritage and love of pop culture, she writes cute and sometimes swoony stories that have been translated into multiple languages around the world. Originally from South Korea, she’s lived in various cities throughout the United States, worked in Hollywood, and studied Psychology and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. She now lives in Dallas, Texas. Visit Lyla at lylaleebooks.com or on social media (Kid lit: @literarylyla and adult romance: @authorlylalee).
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Vashti Harrison
Vashti Harrison, author and illustrator of the bestselling Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, is an artist, author, and filmmaker with a passion for storytelling. She earned her MFA in film and video from California Institute of the Arts, where she snuck into animation and illustration classes to learn from Disney and DreamWorks legends. There she rekindled a love for drawing and painting. Now she uses her love for both film and illustration to craft beautiful stories for children.
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Bree Paulsen
Bree Paulsen is a native of Southern California in love with all things autumnal. After graduating from the Laguna College of Art and Design with a BFA in animation, she freelanced on a few independent animation and illustration projects before turning her focus toward comics. She started her webcomic for adults, Patrik the Vampire, in 2013 and self-publishes its printed volumes. Garlic and the Vampire is her first traditionally published book.
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Karina Yan Glaser
Originally from California, Karina came to New York City for college and has stuck around for nearly twenty years. She has had a varied career teaching and implementing literacy programs in family homeless shelters and recruiting healthcare professionals to volunteer in under resourced areas around the world. Now as a mother, one of her proudest achievements is raising two kids who can’t go anywhere without a book. She lives in Harlem with her husband, two daughters, dog, cat, and house rabbit.
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Karina is a contributing editor at Book Riot where she writes about children's books and her life as a reader. -
Suzanne Nelson
When she was in kindergarten, Suzanne Nelson jotted down in a school keepsake album that she wanted to be a “riter.” Though she clearly had issues with spelling, she persisted, composing cryptic poems about rainbows, fairies, mud, and even "Star Wars" in spiral notebooks all through elementary school. When she was seventeen, she filled four journals with her handwritten first novel, titled “The Dream Keeper.” To escape her chores, she often lied to her parents about what time her shift started at the local fast food joint so that she could spend an extra hour writing in the parking lot in her mom’s faded Buick. Her first published novel was The Sound of Munich, followed by Heart and Salsa, The Ghoul Next Door, Cake Pop Crush, and Dead in th
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Angela Dominguez
Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in the great state of Texas. She now resides on the east coast with her boyfriend, Kyle, and their petite dog, Petunia.
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She is also the author and illustrator of several books for children and a two-time recipient of Pura Belpré Illustration Honor. Her debut middle grade novel, Stella Díaz Has Something To Say, was a New York Public Library and a Chicago Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids, Sid Fleischman Award winner, and an ALA Notable. She recently illustrated Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s newest picture book, Just Help! How to Build a Better World. When Angela is not in her studio or visiting schools, she teaches at the Academy of Art University, which honored her wi -
Lisa Greenwald
A long bio can be kind of boring, so instead I'm going to pretend
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that a famous journalist (maybe Barbara Walters) is interviewing me.
The only thing is, I'm making up the questions.
If you think of any other questions you'd like me to answer, send me an email and ask away!
Q. Where did you grow up?
A. I lived in Fairfield, Connecticut until the end of fifth grade and then I moved to Roslyn Heights, New York. That's on Long Island. But I don't have a bad Lawn Guyland accent, I promise.
Q. Do you have any siblings?
A. Yes, I have two younger brothers. I always wanted a sister, but it's kind of nice being the only daughter in the family, and my brothers and I are really close.
Q. What about the rest of your family? Are you close with them too?
A. -
Kelly Starling Lyons
Kelly Starling Lyons is an award-winning author whose 17 titles for children span easy readers, picture books, chapter books, fiction, nonfiction, and series. For more than a decade, Lyons has been creating inspiring books that center Black heroes, celebrate family, friendship and heritage and show all children the storyteller they hold inside. Her acclaimed titles include Going Down Home with Daddy, Sing a Song: How Lift Every Voice & Sing Inspired Generations, Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon, Tiara's Hat Parade and the Jada Jones chapter book series. Her new easy reader series with illustrator Nina Mata, Ty's Travels, debuts September 1. The first book, All Aboard, earned a starred Kirkus review.
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Lyons counts Notable S -
Wendy Mass
Wendy Mass is the author of thirty novels for young people, including A Mango-Shaped Space, which was awarded the Schneider Family Book Award, Leap Day, the Twice Upon a Time fairy tale series, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, the Willow Falls, Space Taxi and Candymakers series. Wendy wrote the storyline for an episode of the television show Monk, entitled "Mr. Monk Goes to the Theatre," which aired during the show's second season. She tells people her hobbies are hiking and photography, but really they're collecting candy bar wrappers and searching for buried treasure with her metal detector. Wendy lives with her family in New Jersey.
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Kate DiCamillo
Kate DiCamillo, the newly named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2014–2015, says about stories, “When we read together, we connect. Together, we see the world. Together, we see one another.” Born in Philadelphia, the author lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.
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Kate DiCamillo's own journey is something of a dream come true. After moving to Minnesota from Florida in her twenties, homesickness and a bitter winter helped inspire Because of Winn-Dixie - her first published novel, which, remarkably, became a runaway bestseller and snapped up a Newbery Honor. "After the Newbery committee called me, I spent the whole day walking into walls," she says. "I was stunned. And very, ver -
Jim Ottaviani
I've worked at news agencies and golf courses in the Chicagoland area, nuclear reactors in the U.S. and Japan, and libraries in Michigan. When I'm not staying up late writing comics about scientists, I'm spraining my ankles and flattening my feet by running on trails. Or I'm reading. I read a lot.
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Lisa Greenwald
A long bio can be kind of boring, so instead I'm going to pretend
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that a famous journalist (maybe Barbara Walters) is interviewing me.
The only thing is, I'm making up the questions.
If you think of any other questions you'd like me to answer, send me an email and ask away!
Q. Where did you grow up?
A. I lived in Fairfield, Connecticut until the end of fifth grade and then I moved to Roslyn Heights, New York. That's on Long Island. But I don't have a bad Lawn Guyland accent, I promise.
Q. Do you have any siblings?
A. Yes, I have two younger brothers. I always wanted a sister, but it's kind of nice being the only daughter in the family, and my brothers and I are really close.
Q. What about the rest of your family? Are you close with them too?
A. -
Shelia P. Moses
Poet, author, playwright, and producer Shelia P. Moses was raised the ninth of ten children on Rehobeth Road in Rich Square, North Carolina. She is the co-author of Dick Gregory's memoir, Callus on My Soul, as well as the award-winning author of several books for young readers. Shelia lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Landra Jennings
Landra writes fanciful books for young people. She is influenced by folk and fairy tales as well as her Southern-USA roots. She has a MFA in Writing for Children and Young adults from Hamline University.
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Tuija Lehtinen
Tuija Lehtinen is a Finnish writer. In 1973 she graduated from high school in Kuopio, then in 1978 graduated with a BS from the University of Oulu, majoring in statistics. Lehtinen was a freelance journalist from 1979-1984 and has since worked as a freelance author. Her best-known works include the Mirkka, Laura and Janne novel series. They have been translated into Danish, Swedish, German, Estonian and Japanese.
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Kristin Mahoney
Kristin Mahoney is the author of Annie's Life in Lists, about a girl who moves from Brooklyn to a small town in the country. Kristin herself grew up in a small town in North Carolina, and eventually moved to Brooklyn. Now she lives in New Jersey with her family, where she makes lots of lists about groceries, writing ideas, and karaoke songs she'd like to sing.
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