Author Appearance Roster - Middle Grade Authors!
Welcome to our archive of authors who participate in school and library visits!
If you have any questions or are interested in having any of these authors make an in-person or virtual visit with your school or library, please email our Author Appearance Coordinator at [email protected].
If you are interested in an author that is not listed below, please email our Author Appearance Coordinator at [email protected] to inquire about their availability.
Pablo Cartaya is an award-winning author, speaker, actor, and educator. In 2018, he received a Pura Belpré Author Honor for his middle grade novel, The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora. His second novel, Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish, is available now. Pablo is available for in-person and virtual appearances.
Amy Ephron is the author of The Castle in the Mist, which was her first book for children and the follow-up, Carnival Magic. She is also an internationally bestselling adult author and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Vogue, and the LA Times, among other publications. Amy lives in Los Angeles with her husband; between them they have five children.
Keir Graff is the author of two middle grade novels, The Matchstick Castle and The Phantom Tower. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Marya, and his sons, Felix and Cosmo. By day, he is the executive editor of Booklist at the American Library Association. Keir is available for both in-person and virtual visits. If you are interested in bringing Keir to your school, please click here for more info.
Andrew Maraniss began writing about sports, race and history when he was in middle school and now he’s the NYT bestselling author of Strong Inside, named one of the 'Top 10 Biographies for Youth' by Booklist. Andrew loves visiting schools and connecting with reluctant readers. He lives in Nashville with his wife and two young children. He is available for both in-person and virtual visits. Check out the Strong Inside discussion guide.
Victoria Jamieson is the author/illustrator of the Newbery Honor-winning graphic novel, Roller Girl as well as her latest title, All’s Faire in Middle School. She received her BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design and worked as a children’s book designer before becoming a full-time illustrator. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania and is available for in-person and virtual appearances.
Sheila Turnage grew up on a farm in eastern North Carolina. A graduate of East Carolina University, she is the author of two nonfiction books and one picture book. She is the author of the Mo and Dale Mystery series including the Newbery Honor-winning title, Three Times Lucky, along with The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing, The Odds of Getting Even, and The Law of Finders Keepers. She is available for both in-person and virtual appearances.
Rachel Vail is the critically acclaimed author of a number of books for teens and middle readers, including Well, That Was Awkward, Unfriended, and The Friendship Ring series. Rachel also participates in virtual visits with classrooms and libraries through our free profile on Skype in the Classroom. She lives in New York and is available for in-person appearances.
Lauren Wolk is an award-winning poet, artist, and author of the Newbery Honor-winning, Wolf Hollow . Her latest title, Beyond the Bright Sea was the winner of the 2018 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. She lives on Cape Cod with her family and is available for in-person appearances.
Gregory Zuckerman is a Special Writer at The Wall Street Journal and the author of three books. Greg and his two sons wrote Rising Above: How 11 Athletes Overcame Challenges in their Youth to Become Stars , which was chosen by Scholastic Teacher magazine as a top recommendation for 2016, and Rising Above: Inspiring Women in Sports. Gregory lives in West Orange, NJ and is available for in-person and virtual appearances.
We also work with Skype in the Classroom to host a list of authors for free Skype visits to your classroom and library! Please check out our profile if you are interested in hosting one of our wonderful Penguin authors for a free virtual visit.
