Bookable Authors: Intermediate Grades (3 7) English

Anne Smith

Anne Collins Smith, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Classical Studies at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Her favorite class in graduate school was Douglass Parker’s course on parageography (the geography of imaginary worlds), and she has View →

 
Abbi Mueller

Zack Soto

Zack Soto is a cartoonist and comic book editor living in Portland, Oregon. He likes toys, movies, houseplants and making things in his workshop—but he might like comics most of all. You can find him at www.zack-soto.com. View →

 

Olivia Stephens

Olivia Stephens is a graphic novelist, illustrator, and writer from the Pacific Northwest. Artie and the Wolf Moon is her debut graphic novel. She has illustrated for a number of publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and FIYAH Literary… View →

 

Dana Sullivan

Dana Sullivan grew up in Southern California drawing on every piece of paper he could find. He now teaches picture book and graphic novel classes near Seattle, where he lives with his wife and two dogs. View →

 

C. M. Surrisi

C. M. Surrisi is a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She lives in Asheville, North Carolina. The Maypop Kidnapping is her first novel. View →

 

Trudi Strain Trueit

A former television news reporter and weather forecaster, Trudi Strain Trueit has written more than 90 fiction and nonfiction books for young readers. Her nonfiction titles cover such topics as weather, history, health, science, and language arts. Her fiction novels include the Julep… View →

 
Kenneth Allen

Dr. Artika R. Tyner

Dr. Artika Tyner is a passionate educator, award-winning author, civil rights attorney, sought-after speaker, and advocate for justice. She lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and is the founder of the Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute. View →

 
Nina Pomeroy Photography

Nicole Valentine

Nicole Valentine writes books about the crossroads in our world where science and magic meet. She writes for middle grade and young adult readers and reads absolutely everything. You are as likely to find her curled up on the sofa reading a biography about Richard Feynman or Carl Sagan,… View →

 

M. G. Velasco

M. G. Velasco’s middle grade adventure stories feature clever kids facing perilous situations in unique settings, sometimes against llamas. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and worked at a pathology lab, which was not gross. Not gross at all. As a retired… View →

 
Charlotte Voelkel

J&P Voelkel

Jon and Pamela (J&P) Voelkel are the author-illustrators of the Jaguar Stones books, a series of Maya-themed adventures set in present-day Central America. The fast-paced, funny stories center on the friendship between a city boy and a jungle girl— a mirror image of Jon’s wild… View →

 
Lisa Evans

Anna Wadham

Anna Wadham is the illustrator of several picture books and has an MA in children’s book illustration. She lives in Norwich, England, where she enjoys the rooftop views from her flat and the city cafes. View →

 

Penny Warner

Penny Warner has published more than 60 books for both adults and children. She teaches child development at a local college in California. You can join the Code Busters Club at www.codebustersclub.com. View →

 

Charles Waters

Charles Waters is a children’s poet, actor, and co-author of Charlotte Huck Honor Book Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship. His novel in verse, Mascot (co-written with Traci Sorell) was recognized as a Charlotte Huck Honor Book and a 2024 American Indian… View →

 

Laura Hamilton Waxman

Laura Hamilton Waxman lives in Minnesota and has written many nonfiction books for young readers. View →

 
Andy Cowitt

Michael Wertz

Michael Wertz is a commercial artist who creates images for books, products, ads, CDs, and movie trailers. He lives in Oakland, California, and teaches at the California College of the Arts in the illustration department. View →

 

Robin Yardi

Robin Yardi is a children’s book author and a California credentialed teacher. She lives in the hills of Santa Barbara with too many pets and just the right number of children. View →

 

Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen lives in Massachusetts and has written more than 400 books across all genres and age ranges, including the Sydney Taylor Honor book Miriam at the River. In 2022 she was named the The Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Winner. She has been called the Hans Christian Andersen of America… View →

 
Fiona Dulbecco

David Zeltser

David Zeltser is the author of the Lug series, Ninja Baby, Stinker, and The Universe Ate My Homework. He studied physics at Harvard and was fortunate to co-author a paper with the world renowned physicist Howard Georgi. Now David writes children’s books, graphic novels, and… View →

 

Deborah Zemke

Deborah Zemke grew up near Detroit, Michigan. She has written and illustrated many books for young readers. She currently lives in Columbia, Missouri. Learn more about Deborah at www.deborahzemke.com. View →