Melanie Sumrow
MELANIE SUMROW is the award-winning author of Girls Like Her, The Inside Battle, and The Prophet Calls. Before turning her attention to writing, she worked as a lawyer for more than sixteen years, many of her cases involving children and teens. She received her MFA in Writing from Hamline University and lives in Dallas. You can visit her online at melaniesumrow.com.
If you like author Melanie Sumrow here is the list of authors you may also like
Buy books on AmazonTotal similar authors (42)
-
Nic Stone
Nic Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and the only thing she loves more than an adventure is a good story about one. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the US to write full-time. Growing up with a wide range of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, Stone strives to bring these diverse voices and stories to her work.
Buy books on Amazon
Stone lives in Atlanta with her husband and two sons. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @getnicced or on her website nicstone.info. -
Bryan Bliss
Bryan Bliss is the author of No Parking at the End Times, Meet Me Here, and We’ll Fly Away, which was longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award. He lives in Saint Paul, MN with his family.
Buy books on Amazon
You can visit him online at www.bryanbliss.com and on Facebook and Twitter. -
Randy Ribay
Randy Ribay is an award-winning author of young adult fiction. His most recent novel, Patron Saints of Nothing, earned five starred reviews, was selected as a Freeman Book Award winner, and was a finalist for the National Book Award, LA Times Book Prize, Walden Book Award, Edgar Award, International Thriller Writers Award, and the CILIP Carnegie Medal. His other works include Project Kawayan, After the Shot Drops, and An Infinite Number of Parallel Universes. His next novels, The Chronicles of the Avatar: The Reckoning of Roku (Abrams) and Everything We Never Had, (Kokila/Penguin) will be out in 2024.
Buy books on Amazon
Born in the Philippines and raised in the Midwest, Randy earned his BA in English Literature from the University of Colorado at Boulder and h -
Nita Tyndall
Nita Tyndall is a queer author and literary translator from North Carolina. Their YA novels from HarperTeen received critical acclaim, and their debut Who I Was with Her won the Bisexual Book Award in 2021. Their translations from the German have appeared in World Literature Today and New Books in German. When they’re not writing, they’re playing D&D or listening to European musicals. They split their time between Germany and North Carolina with their partners.
Buy books on Amazon -
Meredith Adamo
Meredith Adamo (she/her) is an author based in North Carolina, but she's originally from Rochester, New York, which is her favorite place on the planet. Her debut novel NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS was the recipient of the 2025 William C. Morris YA Debut Award and the Southern Book Prize for Young Readers, and it was named a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, a BookPage Best Young Adult Book of 2024, a May/June Kids' Indie Next List pick, and the May 2024 Target YA Book Club pick.
Buy books on Amazon
Her non-writing interests include collecting vintage bakeware, crocheting the ugliest blankets you've ever seen, and grocery shopping. -
Jeff Zentner
Jeff Zentner is the author of The Serpent King, which Kirkus Reviews named one of the best books of the 21st Century, as well as In the Wild Light, Goodbye Days, Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee, Colton Gentry's Third Act, and Sunrise Nights, coauthored with Brittany Cavallaro. He has two books—Wayfarers and Love, Like Apples—forthcoming in 2026.
Buy books on Amazon
Among other honors, he has won the ALA’s William C. Morris Award, the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award twice, the Muriel Becker Award, the International Literacy Association Award, been longlisted twice for the Carnegie Medal, and is a two-time Southern Book Prize finalist.
His books have been translated into fifteen languages and been featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and in Vanity Fa -
Madeline Claire Franklin
Madeline Claire Franklin holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts WCYA program. When she is not writing strange fiction for young adults, she is probably attempting to dismantle the patriarchy and/or practicing witchcraft. She lives in sin in Buffalo, NY, with her partner, two dogs, three cats, and two Roombas, in a little yellow house called Cluckleberry Farms. Her debut novel, THE WILDERNESS OF GIRLS, was released June 2024 by Zando Projects.
Buy books on Amazon -
Cindy L. Otis
Cindy is the author of AT THE SPEED OF LIES, a contemporary thriller out now with Scholastic. Cindy is also the author of TRUE OR FALSE, the critically acclaimed YA non-fiction read, which was a Golden Kite Award finalist.
Buy books on Amazon
She was born on the West Coast and raised in the northeast where she spends more time than she would like maintaining the tenuous peace between her pets. -
Maya Van Wagenen
Maya Van Wagenen lives in the Atlanta area with her fiancée, three cats, and a dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys quilting, knitting, costume design, reading, and binge-watching detective procedural dramas.
Buy books on Amazon
At fifteen, Maya became a New York Times bestselling author after Penguin Dutton published her eighth-grade journal—Popular. The book went on to win the American Library Association’s YALSA award for excellence in nonfiction, making her the youngest author and first memoirist to receive this honor. Maya’s second book and first novel, Chronically Dolores, is inspired by her experiences as a young person with an incurable bladder condition. Maya is passionate about bringing visibility to youth with chronic illness and validating the qu -
Stacey Lee
Stacey Lee is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including THE DOWNSTAIRS GIRL, Reese's Book Club Late Summer 2021 YA pick, and her most recent, LUCK OF THE TITANIC which received five starred reviews. A native of southern California and fourth-generation Chinese American, she is a founder of the We Need Diverse Books movement and writes stories for all kids (even the ones who look like adults). Find her
Buy books on Amazon
@staceyleeauthor on Instagram and Twitter, and @staceylee.author on Facebook. -
Leon Kemp
Leon Kemp was born and raised in rural Australia among a maze of grape vines and citrus orchards, perfect for wayward explorers. Presently, they live in Melbourne, where they achieved a bachelor of arts with a major in creative writing.
Buy books on Amazon
They hope to continue weaving stories about queer kids surviving both the kindest and cruelest extremes the world has to offer.
When not writing, Leon spends most of their time watching, playing, and reading all things horror, as well as doting on their cats, Midnight and Mayhem, and their dogs, Casper and Lady. Trespass Against Us is their debut novel. -
Miriam Landis
Miriam Landis is a faculty member at the Pacific Northwest Ballet. She was a LitCamp fellow, and an assistant editor at Simon & Schuster, Hyperion, and the Amazon Books team. A Stanford grad, she was also a student at the School of American Ballet and a professional ballerina with Miami City Ballet. When not writing, teaching, or dancing, she enjoys life on Lake Washington alongside her husband and four children. In addition to Lauren in the Limelight, she is the author of two young adult novels, Girl in Motion and Girl on Pointe (previously published as Breaking Pointe). Learn more at www.miriamlandis.com
Buy books on Amazon -
Anna Sortino
Anna Sortino is the award-winning author of On the Bright Side and Give Me a Sign. She writes stories about disabled characters living their lives and falling in love. Find more at AnnaSortino.com.
Buy books on Amazon -
Bryan Bliss
Bryan Bliss is the author of No Parking at the End Times, Meet Me Here, and We’ll Fly Away, which was longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award. He lives in Saint Paul, MN with his family.
Buy books on Amazon
You can visit him online at www.bryanbliss.com and on Facebook and Twitter. -
Faith Gardner
Faith Gardner is the author of adult suspense and YA novels. She lives in the Bay Area with her family.
Buy books on Amazon -
Annie Cardi
Annie Cardi is the author of Red, which was chosen as Kids’ Indie Next Pick by the American Booksellers Association and The Chance You Won’t Return, which received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly, and was named a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year. She has an MFA from Emerson College, and she currently lives with her family and dog in the Boston area.
Buy books on Amazon -
Suja Sukumar
Suja Sukumar is an award winning author of YA suspense novels. Her debut When Mimi Went Missing won the Anthony award for Best YA/Children's novel and the Pencraft seasonal award for Best YA. Teen Vogue called it "a heartstopping debut". It has been featured in Crime Reads, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, among others.
Buy books on Amazon
She is a member of SCBWI, Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers.
She is also a primary care physician in suburban Detroit, where she lives with her family. -
DeAndra Davis
DeAndra, an autistic and neurodivergent Jamaican-American author, has been reading since she could remember and writing since anyone put a pen in her hand. When she isn't delving into fantasy worlds or scaring herself with thrilling tales, she is playing some role-playing game (probably The Witcher series). A young adult novelist, she enjoys exploring the intersections of different identities as much as she enjoys exploring her own.
Buy books on Amazon
DeAndra graduated with her BA in English Literature from Minot State University and her MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University. She is an Instructor of English at Florida Atlantic University where she regularly teaches creative writing, literature, and composition courses.
She is a married -
Meredith Adamo
Meredith Adamo (she/her) is an author based in North Carolina, but she's originally from Rochester, New York, which is her favorite place on the planet. Her debut novel NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS was the recipient of the 2025 William C. Morris YA Debut Award and the Southern Book Prize for Young Readers, and it was named a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, a BookPage Best Young Adult Book of 2024, a May/June Kids' Indie Next List pick, and the May 2024 Target YA Book Club pick.
Buy books on Amazon
Her non-writing interests include collecting vintage bakeware, crocheting the ugliest blankets you've ever seen, and grocery shopping. -
Suja Sukumar
Suja Sukumar is an award winning author of YA suspense novels. Her debut When Mimi Went Missing won the Anthony award for Best YA/Children's novel and the Pencraft seasonal award for Best YA. Teen Vogue called it "a heartstopping debut". It has been featured in Crime Reads, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, among others.
Buy books on Amazon
She is a member of SCBWI, Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers.
She is also a primary care physician in suburban Detroit, where she lives with her family. -
Anna Sortino
Anna Sortino is the award-winning author of On the Bright Side and Give Me a Sign. She writes stories about disabled characters living their lives and falling in love. Find more at AnnaSortino.com.
Buy books on Amazon -
Nita Tyndall
Nita Tyndall is a queer author and literary translator from North Carolina. Their YA novels from HarperTeen received critical acclaim, and their debut Who I Was with Her won the Bisexual Book Award in 2021. Their translations from the German have appeared in World Literature Today and New Books in German. When they’re not writing, they’re playing D&D or listening to European musicals. They split their time between Germany and North Carolina with their partners.
Buy books on Amazon -
Crystal S. Chan
Adaptation of classic novels into manga editions with Stacy King.
Buy books on Amazon
See also: Crystal King -
Candy J. Cooper
Candy J. Cooper is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting. She has been a staff writer for four newspapers, including the The Detroit Free Press and the San Francisco Examiner. Her work has appeared in the The New York Times, The Columbia Journalism Review and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among other publications. She has written several nonfiction series books for the classroom for Scholastic, and her essay on stepfamilies is part of an anthology, My Father Married Your Mother: Dispatches from the Blended Family, published by W. W. Norton.
Buy books on Amazon
(source: Amazon) -
Rex Ogle
Holy moly! I am so humbled and honored for y'all to read my books. Big hugs to all of ya.
Buy books on Amazon
Also, check out graphic novels under my pen name REY TERCIERO.
Bio:
REX OGLE is an award-winning author and the writer of nearly a hundred children’s books, comics, graphic novels, and memoirs—most notably Free Lunch, which won the ALA/YALSA award for Excellence in Non-Fiction.
Born and raised (mostly) in Texas, he moved to New York City after college to intern at Marvel Comics before moving over to DC Comics, Scholastic, and Little Brown Young Readers. As an editor, he championed over a dozen NY Times Bestsellers and worked on (and often wrote) major brands such as X-Men, Justice League, Star Wars, LEGO, Power Rangers, Transformers, Minecraft, Assassin -
Peter Brown
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Buy books on Amazon
Peter Brown is an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books.
"Peter has always loved telling stories. Growing up in New Jersey, he told stories by drawing whimsical characters and scenes from his imagination. Then, as a teenager, he fell in love with writing, and told his tales with words. While studying illustration at Art Center College of Design, Peter’s love of both words and pictures led him to take several courses on children’s books, and before long he knew he’d found his calling.
After graduating from Art Center Peter moved to New York City to be closer to the publishing in -
Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds is an American author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audience. After earning a BA in English from The University of Maryland, College Park, Jason Reynolds moved to Brooklyn, New York, where you can often find him walking the four blocks from the train to his apartment talking to himself. Well, not really talking to himself, but just repeating character names and plot lines he thought of on the train, over and over again, because he’s afraid he’ll forget it all before he gets home.
Buy books on Amazon -
Maria van Lieshout
Maria grew up in the Amsterdam area, and studied Visual Communications at George Washington University in DC. Maria has a background in brand design and innovation and has illustrated/written 15 picture books for kids. Song of a Blackbird, Maria's historical graphic novel about a female artist in the Amsterdam resistance during WWII, is available NOW!
Buy books on Amazon
Please follow Maria on Instagram at @vanlieshoutstudio or visit www.vanlieshoutstudio.com for more information. -
Katherine Applegate
#1 New York Times bestselling author Katherine Applegate has written many books for young readers, including THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal.
Buy books on Amazon
Katherine’s picture books include THE BUFFALO STORM, illustrated by Jan Ormerod (Clarion Books); THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF IVAN, THE SHOPPING MALL GORILLA, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Clarion Books); SOMETIMES YOU FLY, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt (Clarion Books); and ODDER: AN OTTER’S STORY, illustrated by Charles Santoso (Feiwel & Friends).
She’s written or co-written three early chapter series for young readers: ROSCOE RILEY RULES, a seven-book series illustrated by Brian Biggs (HarperCollins); DOGGO AND PUPPER, a three-book series illustrated by Charlie Alde -
Will Hill
Before quitting his job in publishing to write full time, Will Hill worked as a bartender, a bookseller and a door-to-door charity worker. He grew up in the north-east of England, is scared of spiders, and lives in east London with his girlfriend. He is a big fan of cats.
Buy books on Amazon -
Paula Yoo
Paula Yoo is an acclaimed book author, TV writer/producer, and musician. Her children’s and Young Adult nonfiction books and novels have won many awards, including the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the National Book Award Longlist for Young People’s Literature, ALA-YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Honor, Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist, the Asian Pacific American Youth Literature Award, several IRA Notables and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections, plus many starred reviews.
Buy books on Amazon
Her latest YA nonfiction book, RISING FROM THE ASHES: LOS ANGELES, 1992. EDWARD JAE SONG LEE, LATASHA HARLINS, RODNEY KING, AND A CITY ON FIRE, was published on May 7, 2024 by Norton Young Readers (W.W. Norton & Co.). It was selected as a Junior Library Guil -
Candace Fleming
I have always been a storyteller. Even before I could write my name, I could tell a good tale. And I told them all the time. As a preschooler, I told my neighbors all about my three-legged cat named Spot. In kindergarten, I told my classmates about the ghost that lived in my attic. And in first grade I told my teacher, Miss Harbart, all about my family's trip to Paris, France.
Buy books on Amazon
I told such a good story that people always thought I was telling the truth. But I wasn't. I didn't have a three-legged cat or a ghost in my attic, and I'd certainly never been to Paris, France. I simply enjoyed telling a good story... and seeing my listener's reaction.
Sure, some people might have said I was a seven-year old fibber. But not my parents. Instead of calli -
Lois Lowry
Taken from Lowry's website:
Buy books on Amazon
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from th -
Candy J. Cooper
Candy J. Cooper is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the Selden Ring Award for Investigative Reporting. She has been a staff writer for four newspapers, including the The Detroit Free Press and the San Francisco Examiner. Her work has appeared in the The New York Times, The Columbia Journalism Review and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among other publications. She has written several nonfiction series books for the classroom for Scholastic, and her essay on stepfamilies is part of an anthology, My Father Married Your Mother: Dispatches from the Blended Family, published by W. W. Norton.
Buy books on Amazon
(source: Amazon) -
Gretchen Anthony
GRETCHEN ANTHONY is a speaker, humorist, and author of Tired Ladies Take a Stand, a book that the Minneapolis Star Tribune predicted “will almost certainly be snapped up by books clubs everywhere.” Her previous titles include The Book Haters’ Book Club, and Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners. Her novel The Kids Are Gonna Ask received the 2021 Alex Award from the American Library. She lives in Minneapolis with her family, where she stays on the hunt for a good story while listening to 70’s classic rock and scouting a great Manhattan.
Buy books on Amazon
Follow Gretchen on BookBub https://bit.ly/3yfnqf0
Follow Gretchen on Amazon
https://amzn.to/3WCYGGQ -
Dante Medema
Dante Medema is an author of books for young readers. She lives in Anchorage, Alaska with her husband, four daughters, and room full of alien memorabilia—and books, of course. When she’s not writing, she dabbles in baking, decorating, painting, sewing, and reading up on enneagram personality types.
Buy books on Amazon -
Maya Van Wagenen
Maya Van Wagenen lives in the Atlanta area with her fiancée, three cats, and a dog. When she’s not writing, she enjoys quilting, knitting, costume design, reading, and binge-watching detective procedural dramas.
Buy books on Amazon
At fifteen, Maya became a New York Times bestselling author after Penguin Dutton published her eighth-grade journal—Popular. The book went on to win the American Library Association’s YALSA award for excellence in nonfiction, making her the youngest author and first memoirist to receive this honor. Maya’s second book and first novel, Chronically Dolores, is inspired by her experiences as a young person with an incurable bladder condition. Maya is passionate about bringing visibility to youth with chronic illness and validating the qu -
Bethany Mangle
Bethany Mangle is the author of the young adult contemporary novels PREPPED and ALL THE RIGHT REASONS. Her third book, CONDITIONS OF A HEART, is forthcoming in February 2024. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys spoiling her dog, playing video games, and spending time with her unbearably nerdy husband. She moves too much to put a location in her bio ever again.
Buy books on Amazon
Bethany is represented by Jennifer Wills and Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency.
Note:
I don't add readers as friends on Goodreads because of Amazon's policy on reviews. Please follow me instead. I'm also active on Twitter and Instagram @bethanymangle. Thanks for your understanding! -
Colleen Nelson
Colleen Nelson is the author of YA fiction books Finding Hope (2016), 250 Hours (2015), The Fall (2013) and Tori by Design (2011). 'The Fall' and 'Tori by Design' both won the McNally Robinson Book of the Year Award. 'The Fall' was also nominated for the White Pine Award. Currently living in Winnipeg with her husband, two young sons and three grown step-children, Colleen manages to eke out time to write everyday, but usually in the early morning after a strong cup of coffee. A junior high school teacher for ten years before having children, Colleen is familiar and comfortable with the tricky phase of life called 'adolescence'. Now a Teacher-Librarian in Winnipeg, Canada, Colleen is constantly on the look-out for books that will catch the at
Buy books on Amazon -
Anna Gracia
Anna Gracia is a former Division I athlete and tennis coach who now excels at snacking while yelling advice at the TV. Her weaknesses include crying at movies, running long distances, and temperatures over 70 degrees. Her debut YA novel, Boys I Know, was both an ABA Indies Introduce and Indie Next pick, and was featured in The New York Times, Paste, Seventeen, and more. See more at anna-gracia.com.
Buy books on Amazon -
MultiMind
MultiMind lives in Baltimore, Maryland. She tries to find time for her countless hobbies, from 3D printing to bookbinding to virtual reality. She writes books that are fairly Black, quite queer, and very much embedded in the world of Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror.
Buy books on Amazon -
Kathleen Fine
Kathleen Fine received her Master’s in Reading Education from Towson University and Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from University of Maryland, College Park. She is a member of the Maryland Writers Association, International Thriller Writers, and Author’s Guild. When she’s not writing and selling real estate, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to the Outer Banks, and of course, reading anything she can get her hands on. She currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, three children, and Sussex Spaniel. Her debut novel, Girl on Trial, will be released in the Fall of 2023.
Buy books on Amazon