Susan Tan
Children's Fiction Author
March 29th, 2024
Susan Tan is the author of the Asian Pacific American Librarian Association Literature Award–winning Cilla Lee-Jenkins series and the Pets Rule! early reader series. She currently lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, and is an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Susan's first book in the Pets Rule series has been nominated for a Washington Library Association Otter Award this year! Susan will be visiting virtually with our 2nd and 3rd graders.
Naseem Hrab is the award-winning author of many stories for children including Otis & Peanut, How to Party Like a Snail, Weekend Dad, a Governor General’s Literary Award finalist, and The Sour Cherry Tree, a Governor General’s Literary Award winner. Her work has been translated into several languages including Turkish, Swedish, Italian, Spanish and Catalan, and praised by The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, the CBC, NPR, Bank Street College, and more. She worked as a librarian for a time and currently works in children's publishing. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. Naseem will be visiting virtually with our First graders.
Bob Shea- Children's Picture Book
Author and Illustrator
Thursday, February 8th, 2024
Bob Shea is an award-winning author and illustrator of your favorite children’s books. His titles include the popular Ballet Cat series, The Dinosaur VS. … series and runaway smash hit, Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great. The rest escape me at the moment. Oh, he wrote Who Wet My Pants illustrated by his friend Zach Ohora.
Bob has worked with Comedy Central, was the designer of the PBS Kids logo, developed an on-air character for Playhouse Disney, worked with Nick Jr., has appeared on Noggin and The Sunny Side Up Show and has also worked on a super-secret project with some really smart people at Google. DreamWorks is developing one of his books into a television show. Bob Shea is largely, if not entirely, responsible for the success of all the organizations mentioned.
Bob will visit our kinder and 1st grade classes virtually to share his writing process and do a drawing lesson!
Monica Silvie- Children's Picture Book Author
February 21st, 2024 for World Read Aloud Day!
Monica Silvie is a writer and illustrator of children's books. She lives in Vancouver, Canada, on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
Author and filmmaker Brian Young is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. He grew up on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Brian earned his BA in Film Studies at Yale University and his MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia University. Brian currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Yá’át’ééh, Brian Young yinishyé. T’áchiinii nishłį́. Ta’neeszahnii báshíshchíín. T’ódích’íinii da shicheii. T’ódik’ǫzhi da shinálí. Tséhootsooí dę́ę́’ naashá. Brooklyn, New York, da shighan.
Hello, my name is Brian Young. I am Red-Running-Into-Red Clan and born for the Tangle People Clan. My maternal grandfather’s clan is Bitter Water. My paternal grandfather’s clan is Bitter Water. I am enrolled with the Navajo Nation and grew up in Fort Defiance, Arizona. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York.
Brian visited with 4th and 5th graders virtually to talk about his upbringing in Arizona, his cultural background and his inspiration for writing Healer of the Water Monster.
John Gallagher is the art director of the NWF’s “Ranger Rick” magazine, cofounder of “Kids Love Comics” (an organization that uses graphic novels to promote literacy), and leads workshops teaching kids how to create their own comics. John lives in Virginia with his wife and their three kids. John is the author and illustrator of the Max Meow: Cat Crusader graphic novel series.
Wednesday, February 1st, 2023 for
World Read Aloud Day
DUSTI BOWLING grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where, as her family will tell you, she always had her nose in a book. She released her first middle grade novel in 2017 and hasn't stopped writing since.
Dusti's books have won the Reading the West Award, the Sakura Medal, a Golden Kite Honor, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and have been nominated for over thirty state awards. Her books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections and have been named best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library, Kirkus, Bank Street College of Education, A Mighty Girl, Shelf Awareness, and many more. Dusti currently lives in Eagar, Arizona with her husband, three daughters, and a bunch of farm animals.
Dusti joined us for World Read Aloud Day and read from her newest book
Dust- which is scheduled to be released in August 2023.
Deborah Underwood- Children's
Picture Book Author March 17th, 2023
Deborah Underwood grew up in Walla Walla, Washington. Her father was a math professor and her mother taught English. After colege, she became a street musician, then she worked in an office typing memos for accountants. During her breaks she would write screenplays. She finally decided to write for kids. Deborah also started writing nonfiction at the suggestion of her publisher. Her children's titles include: The Quiet Book, The Christmas Quiet Book, A Balloon for Isabel, Sugar Plum Ballerinas, and The Loud Book. Her nonfiction titles include: Mexico or Bust, Animal Secrets, 101 Ways to Save the Planet and Ballroom Dancing. In 2014 her title, Here Comes The Easter Cat, made The New York Times Best Seller List.
Jennifer Torres- Young Adult Fiction Author
April 7th, 2023
Jennifer Torres is the award-winning author of Stef Soto, Taco Queen, The Fresh New Face of Griselda, and other books for young readers. She writes stories about home, friendship, and unexpected courage inspired by her Mexican-American heritage. Jennifer started her career as a newspaper reporter, and even though she writes fiction now, she hopes her stories still have some truth in them. She lives with her family in Southern California.
Lyla Lee is the author of young adult novels like I’ll Be the One and the upcoming Flip the Script (May 2022). She also writesthe Mindy Kim series for younger readers. Born in South Korea, she’s since then lived in various cities throughout the United States. Inspired by her English teacher, she started writing her own stories in fourth grade and finished her first novel at the age of fourteen. After working various jobs in Hollywood and studying Psychology and Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, she now lives in Dallas, Texas.
Wendy Mass- Young Adult Fiction Author
Friday April 1st, 2022
Wendy Mass is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine novels for young people (which have been translated into 26 languages and nominated for 91 state book awards), her first was A Mango-Shaped Space (which was awarded the Schneider Family Book Award by the American Library Association), followed by Leap Day, the Twice Upon a Time fairy tale series, Every Soul a Star, The Willow Falls series (that began with 11 Birthdays), Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall,Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life (which was made into a feature film), The Candymakers series and Pi in the Sky. Her latest books are Bob (co-written with Rebecca Stead) and two early reader series called Space Taxi (co-written with Michael Brawer), and Time Jumpers.
Saadia Faruqi- Pakistani Young Adult Fiction
and Children's Book Author
March 4th, 2022
Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American author, essayist and interfaith activist. She writes the children’s early reader series “Yasmin” and other books for children, including middle grade novels “A Place At The Table” co-written with Laura Shovan (a Sydney Taylor Notable 2021), and “A Thousand Questions” (a South Asia Book Award Honor 2021). Her new book “Yusuf Azeem Is Not A Hero” details the experiences of the Muslim American community twenty years after 9/11. Saadia is editor-in-chief of Blue Minaret, a magazine for Muslim art, poetry and prose. Saadia will be visiting virtually with 2nd and 3rd grade on March 4th, 2022.
Traci is a member of the Cherokee nation and the author of "We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga" and "We Are Still Here" among other children's books. These bilingual books she will be discussing are written in both English and Cherokee, are beautiful stories about being grateful and a reminder that these people are still here, living on their ancestral lands Since Time Immemorial.
Ben Guterson- Young Adult Fiction Author
May 12th, 2021
Ben Guterson is a local Young Adult fiction author. His books include the Winterhouse mystery series and his newest book- Einstein's at Vista Point. Ben is visiting in-person with our 4th and 5th grade students.
Trudi is a local author of many fiction and non-fiction titles. She will be joining the Rockwell Intermediate grades to share her Explorer Academy series with a new release expected on January 5th, 2021.
Andrea Loney- Children's Picture Book Author February 3rd, 2021
World Read Aloud Day 2021
Andrea Loney is the award-winning author of Curve & Flow, VIP: Stacey Abrams, Bunnybear, Double Bass Blues, Take a Picture of Me, James Van Der Zee!, and more. She visited our Kindergarten and 1st graders virtually for World Read Aloud day and read Bunnybear!
Jillian visited with our 3rd-5th graders in our first ever virtual author visit through Microsoft Teams. Students really enjoyed learning about her writing and publishing process. This author is especially pertinent as her title- The Many Reflections of Miss Jane Deming is one of our Battle of the Books titles and has earned these literary awards:
Ellie Peterson- picture book
Illustrator and Author
Wednesday, December 9th, 2020
Ellie is a triple threat- Illustrator, Author and Science Teacher! Ellie visited with our Kinder-2nd graders and shared a book that she is the illustrator for- Bea's Bees. This book is a great story about how important Bees are to our environment and provide the foods we enjoy. Ellie shared lots of awesome info about bees and what we can do to help them thrive- even in our own yards!
