Dear Ruby

Orchard Books

Ruby Bridges is a civil rights icon, activist, author, and speaker who at the age of six was the first Black student to integrate an all-white elementary school in Louisiana. Bridges is the recipient of numerous awards, including the NAACP Martin Luther King Award, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and honorary doctorate degrees from Connecticut College, College of New Rochelle, Columbia University Teachers College, and Tulane University. Bridges is also the author of I Am Ruby Bridges, Through My Eyes, and This Is Your Time. Ruby lives in Louisiana with her family.

(Closing Keynote: Inspiring Youth for Change Through Books)

A Walk in the Woods

Neal Porter Books

Nikki Grimes is the recipient of numerous literary lifetime achievement and excellence awards, as well as a Coretta Scott King Book Award and five Coretta Scott King Award Honors. Her memoir, Ordinary Hazards, received both a Sibert and a Printz Honor. Ms. Grimes lives in Corona, California.

(Breakfast Keynote: Tough Topics for Tender Readers)

The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams

Arthur Levine, an imprint of Levine Querido

Daniel Nayeri was born in Iran and spent a couple of years as a refugee before immigrating to Oklahoma at age eight with his family. His autobiographical novel, Everything Sad Is Untrue (A True Story) was the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award, the Christopher Medal, and the Middle Eastern Book Award. He is a former publisher, editor, and pastry chef. He lives with his wife and son in an Airstream in one of America’s great National Parks.

(Opening Breakfast Keynote: The Best Questions I’ve Ever Asked)

A Walk in the Woods

Neal Porter Books

Brian Pinkney continued illustrating A Walk in the Woods after his father, Jerry Pinkney, passed away, supplementing Jerry’s sketches with watercolor painting. He has illustrated many books for children, and is the recipient of two Caldecott Honors and the Coretta Scott King Book Award for In the Time of the Drums. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, New York.

(Breakfast Keynote: Tough Topics for Tender Readers)

The Artivist

Penguin Young Readers

Nikkolas Smith is an Artivist, picture book author, and Hollywood film illustrator. He speaks on his Artivism at conferences, workplaces, and schools around the world, and he also leads workshops about digital painting. Many of Nikkolas’s viral and globally published sketches that have sparked important conversations and inspired meaningful change are included in his book Sunday Sketch: The Art of Nikkolas.

(Closing Keynote: Inspiring Youth for Change Through Books)

Trainer, Keynote Speaker

ZingTrain

Timo Anderson has worked in the non-profit world in Japan and Kenya, as well as with youth and adults. As a team member of ZingTrain, he is excited about sharing Service, Training, Visioning, and Mindful Self-Management content around the country and at ZingTrain’s 2-day seminars.

(Five Steps to Effective On-Shift Training, Communication in a Changing Workforce)

Freelance Book Reviewer

Stephanie Appell covered children’s and YA books as an associate editor at BookPage, a monthly book recommendation guide available at more than 3,500 public libraries and bookstores across the country. Before coming to BookPage, she was the children’s buyer and Director of Events for Young Readers at Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee, and served as a youth services librarian at the Austin Public Library in Austin, Texas.

(Averting the Adult Gaze in YA Literature)

Youth Librarian

Oak Creek Public Library

Jake Bowen’s antiquarian bookseller neighbor once described him as a “Librarian with Homosexual Tendencies” and it’s the most rad thing anyone will ever say about him. He has worked in both public and school libraries with kids anywhere from 0–18 and was a teacher previous to his library career. Jake serves on the Stonewall Book Award committee and is committed to providing high-quality diverse literature to kids every single day. When he isn't stuck to his hammock reading, he's usually talking to booksellers at Boswell Books, doing puzzles with his partner, or playing in a gay sports league.

(A Child’s Freedom to Read)

Ordinary Hazards

Atria

Anna Bruno is a novelist and teacher at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business. Previously, Anna managed public relations and marketing for technology and financial services companies in Silicon Valley. She holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, an MBA from Cornell University, and a BA from Stanford University.

(Storytelling for Success)

Something Happened to Our Planet: Kids Tackle the Climate Crisis

American Psychological Association (APA)

Dr. Marietta Collins is the Director of Behavioral Medicine within the Department of Family Medicine at Morehouse College, where she also has a secondary appointment in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She is the co-author of the New York Times and IndieBound bestseller, Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice.

(Understanding Children’s Social-Emotional Development)

Manager of Industry Insights

Circana Books

Brenna Connor, Manager of Industry Insights, Circana Books, has been working with data and analytics for nearly a decade in roles including marketing, research, and insights. She joined Circana in 2014 as part of the marketing department and moved to the Circana Books team in 2018. Prior to joining Circana, she held marketing and project management positions. She holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin.

(The State of the Children's Book Market)

Founder

M+E/Michael Fusco Design

Michael Fusco-Straub once worked in a library and would tear out pages of books to use as art for his friends’ punk rock albums. Now he owns Books Are Magic in two locations in Brooklyn, New York!

(Principles of Merch Design)

Executive Director

Drag Story Hour

Jonathan Hamilt is the Executive Director of the national 501(c)(3) Drag Story Hour and co-founder of its NYC Chapter. He has spoken at Harvard, Yale, the Medical Library Association, the American Library Association, Public Library Association, School Library Journal, and SXSWEDU. His activism spreads outside Drag Story Hour as his Drag persona “Ona Louise,” the host of drag charity bingos across NYC.

(Fighting for Queer Stories and Seeds of Change)

Gray Areas

Amistad

Adia Harvey Wingfield is the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences and Vice Dean for Faculty Development and Diversity at Washington University in St. Louis. She writes regularly for mainstream outlets, including Slate, The Atlantic, and Vox. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

(Featured Talk with Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield: Gray Areas)

Founder, Nebraska Chapter

Drag Story Hour

She’s a married cougar with sass, class, and a wine glass. Mrs. Yuka Layme is THE “Bearded Beauty & Saucy Chanteuse”. Mrs. Yuka Layme is a joyful broad who loves providing entertainment across the Midwest. Yuka founded Nebraska’s Drag Queen Story Hour Chapter in April 2017.

(Bookseller Karaoke Hosted By Drag Story Hour)

Director of BTB Sales

Penguin Random House

Deb Lewis is the Director of BTB Sales, Penguin Random House.

(Optimizing Business-to-Business Sales)

Associate Professor / President ILA

The College of Idaho

Lance McGrath, a native Idahoan, developed a love of reading and libraries at an early age. He is a librarian and educational technologist at The College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho. He earned graduate degrees from the University of North Texas (library science) and Boise State University (educational technology). Lance is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership program at Northwest Nazarene University. He is an active library supporter and freedom-to-read advocate and is currently serving as the President of the Idaho Library Association.

(A Child's Freedom to Read)

Director

On Your Marq

Emily Raclaw is the Director of On Your Marq, a support program for neurodivergent students at Marquette University. She provides direct services as well as supervises graduate-level students. She has developed partnerships all across the campus and the community to create holistic, multidisciplinary support for her program.

(Embracing Neurodiversity in the Workplace)

Middle School Teacher

University School of Milwaukee

Hannah Reimer has taught middle school students for 20 years, the last 18 of which have been at the University School of Milwaukee. Before that, she taught at Town School for Boys in San Francisco. Using literature and stories to help students make sense of their world, and helping kids find books and authors that speak to them is what keeps her going.

(A Child’s Freedom to Read)

You Can Go Your Own Way

Inkyard

Eric Smith is a literary agent and Young Adult author from Elizabeth, New Jersey. As an agent, he’s worked on New York Times bestselling and award-winning books. His latest book, Jagged Little Pill: The Novel, was written with Alanis Morissette, Academy award-winner Diablo Cody, and Glen Ballard. His upcoming books include With or Without You (Inkyard Press, November 2023) and the anthology First-Year Orientation (Candlewick, April 2023) with Lauren Gibaldi.

(Averting the Adult Gaze in YA Literature)

Nothing Else But Miracles

Margaret Ferguson Books

Kate Albus is the award-winning author of A Place to Hang the Moon, a JLG Gold Standard Selection, Indie Next Pick, and recipient of three starred reviews. She grew up in New York and now lives with her family in rural Maryland, where an already-dangerous pile of reading material on her nightstand grows daily.

Susie King Taylor

Aladdin

Erica Armstrong Dunbar is the Charles and Mary Beard Professor of History at Rutgers University. Her first book, A Fragile Freedom: African American Women and Emancipation in the Antebellum City, was published by Yale University Press in 2008. Her second book, Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, was a 2017 finalist for the National Book Award in nonfiction and a winner of the 2018 Frederick Douglass Book Award. She is also the author of She Came to Slay, an illustrated tribute to Harriet Tubman, and Susie King Taylor, and is the co-executive producer of the HBO series The Gilded Age.

Mr. S

Katherine Tegen Books

Monica Arnaldo was born in Ontario, Canada. She is the author-illustrator of Are You a Cheeseburger? and has written and illustrated several Canadian picture books, including Little Brothers & Little Sisters, Margo Thinks Twice, and Time for Bed’s Story. She now lives in Quebec.

Duel

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Jessixa Bagley is children’s book author-illustrator with a background in fine art and comics. She has had work featured in publications such as New American Paintings, The Chicago Reader, Nickelodeon Magazine, and Highlights Magazine. Her first picture book, Boats for Papa, received numerous awards and accolades including the 2016 SCBWI Golden Kite Award for picture book text and a 2016 Washington State Book Award. Her picture book Laundry Day received a 2018 Ezra Jack Keats Honor Award for writing. Many of her picture books are also Junior Library Guild Selections. In her work, she’s drawn to animals and emotional themes often inspired by her own experiences. Jessixa also teaches and speaks about writing and illustration. She often illustrates for other writers and artistically collaborates with her husband, Aaron Bagley. Jessixa lives in Seattle with her husband and son.

Sing Me to Sleep

Bloomsbury YA

Gabi Burton grew up reading and writing in St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine in 2021. Now, she works as a paralegal and author on the East Coast. When she’s not working or writing, she’s probably watching Netflix, scrolling through Twitter, or finding beautiful places to walk — preferably near a body of water.

Plan A

Random House Children's Books

Deb Caletti is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of over twenty books for adults and young adults, including Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, a finalist for the National Book Award; A Heart in a Body in the World, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; Girl, Unframed; and One Great Lie. Her books have also won the Josette Frank Award for Fiction, the Washington State Book Award, and numerous other state awards and honors, and she was a finalist for the PEN USA Award. She lives with her family in Seattle.

Oliver’s Great Big Universe

Amulet Books

Jorge Cham is the bestselling, Emmy-nominated creator of…many things: from the hit PBS show Elinor Wonders Why to the hit nonfiction book for adults called We Have No Idea, along with the hit podcast Daniel & Jorge Explain the Universe and the popular webcomic PHD Comics. He is, without a doubt, an expert on explaining things about the world in interesting and fun ways. He obtained his PhD in robotics from Stanford University and was an instructor and research associate at Caltech from 2003 to 2005. He is originally from Panama.

A Bright Heart

Union Square & Co.

As a Chinese immigrant, Kate Chenli is a proud US citizen who also cherishes her Chinese heritage. She has an MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, but has always enjoyed designing complex worlds and characters more than designing complex software. Other than reading and writing, her passion is world travel (five continents down and counting).

The Imaginary Alphabet

Pajama Press

Sylvie Daigneault, an award-winning commercial artist and author-illustrator originating from Montreal, Quebec, enjoyed painting and drawing from a young age. She studied at Montreal’s École des Beaux-Arts and her works were featured at a variety of venues and galleries before she began focusing on her passion for children’s illustration using colored pencil. She has illustrated fifteen books, most memorably the Bruno series, The Good Garden, which won several awards and accolades, and Sarah Saw a Blue Macaw. Sylvie currently resides in Toronto, Ontario.

Secrets of the Sky

Scholastic

Sayantani DasGupta is the New York Times-bestselling author of the critically acclaimed, Bengali folktale and string theory-inspired Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond books, the first of which — The Serpent’s Secret — was a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, a Booklist Best Middle Grade Novel of the 21st Century, and an E. B. White Read Aloud Honor Book. She is also the author of Debating Darcy, a contemporary young adult reimagining of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Sayantani is a pediatrician by training, but now teaches at Columbia University. When she’s not writing or reading, Sayantani spends time watching cooking shows with her trilingual children and protecting her black Labrador retriever Khushi from the many things that scare him, including plastic bags. She is a team member of We Need Diverse Books, and can be found online at sayantanidasgupta.com and on Twitter at @sayantani16.

Wren Martin Ruins It All

Peachtree Teen

Amanda DeWitt is an author (Aces Wild, Peachtree) and librarian, ensuring that she spends as much time around books as possible. She also enjoys Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragon-ing, and even more writing — just not whatever it is she really should be writing. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a master’s in information and library science. She lives in Clearwater, Florida, with her dogs, cats, and assortment of chickens.

Billie Blaster and the Robot Army from Outer Space

Amulet Books

Jim Di Bartolo is a mixed-media illustrator, painter, visual storyteller, and writer. In his freelance career, he has illustrated novels, comic books, and role-playing games.

This Book Is Banned

Sourcebooks Explore

Also known by his stage name Lushlife, Raj Haldar is an American rapper, composer, and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He’s also the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of P Is for Pterodactyl. Connect with him on Twitter @lushlifemedia.

Josephine and Her Dishwashing Machine

Calkins Creek/Astra Books for Young Readers

Chicago children’s author Kate Hannigan writes fiction and nonfiction for young readers. A former newspaper journalist, she is the author of numerous children’s books, including A Lady Has the Floor and Nellie vs. Elizabeth.

The Chaperone

Sourcebooks Fire

M Hendrix is the author of two previous books. She lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with her husband, novelist David Bell. The Chaperone is her YA debut. Learn more at mhendrixwrites.com.

Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans

Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins

Isi Hendrix is a children’s book author who has been lucky enough to live and work all over the world, from the Himalayas to the Amazon rainforest, during her past life as an anthropologist. Now she’s based in her hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where she lives with a rotating roster of foster kittens and a stubborn refusal to accept that she is highly allergic to cats. Adia Kelbara and the Circle of Shamans is her debut novel.

Invisible Son

Random House Children’s Books

Kim Johnson has held leadership positions in social justice organizations as a teen. She’s now a college administrator who maintains civic engagement throughout the community while also mentoring Black student activists and leaders. This Is My America was her award-winning debut novel. She holds degrees from the University of Oregon and the University of Maryland, College Park. Kim lives in Maryland with her husband and two kids. Find her at kcjohnsonwrites.com and follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @kcjohnsonwrites.

The Apartment House on Poppy Hill

Chronicle Books

Nina LaCour is the bestselling and award-winning author of books for children and adults including the acclaimed young adult novel We Are Okay, which received the Michael L. Printz Award; the adult novel Yerba Buena; and the children's books Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle; and My Friend, Loonie. She lives with her family in San Francisco. You can learn more about her at www.ninalacour.com.

Goddess Crown

Walker Books US

Shade Lapite is British-Nigerian and has drawn on her heritage to create the world of her debut novel. She spent a significant slice of her childhood nestled in the library, inhaling books by Diana Wynne Jones, Tamora Pierce, Lois Duncan, and Mildred D. Taylor. Her love for the arts led her to a degree in media arts at Royal Holloway, University of London. She now lives in Toronto and juggles writing with her career in digital marketing. Her blog, Coffee Bookshelves, celebrates writing and promotes titles by authors of color. You can find her fangirling over Korean dramas on Twitter @TheShadyFiles or sharing her favorite books on Instagram @shadelapite.

Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior

Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

Carole Lindstrom is the author of the New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Award-winning We Are Water Protectors. She is Anishinabe/Métis and is a proud member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe Indians. She was born and raised in Nebraska and currently makes her home in Maryland. Her newest picture book, Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior, releases on September 19, 2023.

The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman

Levine Querido

Mari Lowe has too little free time and spends it all on writing and escape rooms. As the daughter of a rabbi and as a middle school teacher at an Orthodox Jewish school, she looks forward to sharing little glimpses into her community with her books. She lives in New York with her family, menagerie of pets, and robotic vacuum.

Rebel Girls Celebrate Pride: 25 Tales of Self-Love and Community

Rebel Girls

T.L. Luke is a queer illustrator and political activist based in Madison, Wisconsin. Her personal work ranges from whimsically dark illustrations of fearless girls adventuring precarious unknowns with their larger-than-life-size animal companions, to comics that help explain state politics so readers can enact legislative progress in their local communities. Luke enjoys making complicated subjects more digestible for visual learners, all while encouraging critical thinking and radical creativity.

Zooni Tales: Keep It Up, Plucky Pup

Holiday House

Vikram Madan grew up in India, where he really wanted to be a cartoonist but ended up an engineer. After many years of working in the tech industry, he came to his senses and followed his heart into storytelling. He is the author/illustrator of Owl and Penguin, a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor book and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection; and A Hatful of Dragons, which received a starred review in Kirkus, was a Kirkus Best Book, and was named to the Texas Bluebonnet Master List and the NYPL Best Books List.

The Scarlet Veil

HarperTeen

Shelby Mahurin is the bestselling author of the Serpent & Dove trilogy. She grew up on a small farm in rural Indiana, where sticks became wands and cows became dragons. Her rampant imagination didn’t fade with age, so she continues to play make-believe every day — with words now instead of cows. When not writing, Shelby watches The Office and reads voraciously. She still lives near that childhood farm with her very tall husband and semiferal children. Visit her online at shelbymahurin.com.

Mexikid

Penguin Young Readers

Pedro Martín is a former Hallmark artist of 27 years and the creator of Asteroid Andy. He chronicles his life growing up Mexican American online in a series called Mexikid.

A Tall Dark Trouble

Zando Young Readers

Fueled by the magic of espresso, Miami-born Vanessa Montalban channels her wanderlust for far-off worlds into writing speculative fiction for teens. She’s a first-gen graduate from the University of Central Florida where she received her bachelor’s in creative writing with summa cum laude honors.

I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams

Scholastic

Tanisia Moore views writing as her avenue for giving hope, sharing life’s lessons, and sparking imaginations. She writes uplifting stories for all ages and wrote I Am My Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams, her first picture book, because she wanted to introduce children to more contemporary Black men and inspire readers to dream and live big. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband and three young children. Learn more at tanisiamoore.com.

The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Deya Muniz was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where they grew up watching Pride and Prejudice and reading copious amounts of shojo manga. In 2017, they moved to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in sequential art, where they met and fell in love with a wonderful girl who makes delicious grilled cheese sandwiches.

White House Clubhouse

Norton Young Readers

Sean O'Brien is a former White House speechwriter who now teaches at Georgetown University. He served as director of speechwriting to Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, and special assistant to President Barack Obama. He lives in Washington, DC.

Wrath Becomes Her

Inkyard Press

Aden Polydoros is the author of YA dark fantasy and horror novels. His gothic fantasy novel, The City Beautiful, won the Sydney Taylor Book Award and was a finalist for the Lambda Award, the National Jewish Book Award, and the 2022 World Fantasy Award.

The Otherwoods

Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Justine Pucella Winans is a queer and nonbinary writer who resides in Los Angeles with their husband and orange tabby cat. They graduated with a BFA in Acting from Chapman University and now work at a talent agency. Originally from Cleveland, they still say “pop” and have love for the city, just not the cold. When not writing, they try their best at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, read an alarming amount of manga, and try to make pasta even a fourth as good as their nonna’s. Connect with them on Twitter and Instagram @JustinePWinans and www.justinepucellawinans.com.

There Was A Party for Langston

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Jerome Pumphrey is a designer, illustrator, and writer, originally from Houston, Texas. His work includes It’s a Sign!, Somewhere in the Bayou, The Old Boat, and The Old Truck, which received seven starred reviews, was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, and received the Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award Honor — all of which he created with his brother Jarrett. They also illustrated Jason Reynolds’ There Was a Party for Langston. Jerome works as a graphic designer at The Walt Disney Company. He lives near Clearwater, Florida.

There Was A Party for Langston

Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Jarrett Pumphrey is an award-winning author-illustrator who makes books for kids with his brother, Jerome. Their books include It’s a Sign!, Somewhere in the Bayou, The Old Boat, and The Old Truck, which received seven starred reviews, was named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, and received the Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award Honor. They also illustrated Jason Reynolds’s There Was a Party for Langston. Jarrett lives near Austin, Texas.

Night of the Witch

Sourcebooks Fire

Beth Revis is a New York Times-bestselling author with books available in more than twenty languages. She writes science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary novels, including Across the Universe, Star Wars: Rebel Rising, Give the Dark My Love, and A World Without You. A native of North Carolina, Revis lives in a rural corner of the state with her son and husband.

Tagging Freedom

Union Square Kids

Rhonda Roumani is a Syrian American journalist who lived in Syria as a reporter for U.S. newspapers. She has written about Islam, the Arab world, and Muslim-American issues for more than two decades. Currently, she is a contributing fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at USC and a journalism fellow for their Spiritual Exemplars Project. She lives in Connecticut with her family.

Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew

Inkyard Press

DaVaun Sanders is a Black writer of speculative fiction residing in Phoenix, Arizona. He serves as executive editor for the award-winning FIYAH Literary Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction. His short fiction has appeared in the New York Times-bestselling anthology Black Boy Joy, and elsewhere. When deadlines are scarce, he enjoys exploring the world with his wife and twins. Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew is his debut novel.

All the Fighting Parts

Amulet Books

Hannah V. Sawyerr was recognized as the Youth Poet Laureate of Baltimore in 2016. Her spoken word has been featured on the BBC’s World Have Your Say program, as well as the National Education Association’s “Do You Hear Us?” campaign. Her written word has been included in gal-dem, Rookie, and xoNecole. She holds a BA in English from Morgan State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. Sawyerr is an English professor at Loyola Marymount University and lives in Los Angeles, California.

How to Get Over the End of the World

Triangle Square Books for Young Readers

Hal Schrieve grew up in Olympia, Washington. Hir debut novel Out of Salem was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 2019. Hal's poetry has appeared in Vetch magazine, and hir comics have been featured in Stacked Deck Press's 2018 anthology We're Still Here. Hal works as a children's librarian in New York. Hal can be found on Twitter at @Hal_Schrieve.

The Sea in You

Iron Circus Comics

Jessi Sheron is an illustrator and comic book artist. She has illustrated Monster High and Ever After High books for Little Brown and Princeless for Action Lab Comics.

Mascot

Charlesbridge

Traci Sorell writes fiction and nonfiction for children featuring contemporary characters and compelling biographies. She is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation and lives in northeastern Oklahoma, where her tribe is located. www.tracisorell.com

The Winterton Deception 1: Final Word

Pixel+Ink

Janet Sumner Johnson is the author of picture books The Recess Genius 1: Open for Business, Braver Than Brave, and Help Wanted: Must Love Books, which was the winner of the 2021 CLEL Bell Read Award and was nominated for the Colorado and Washington Children’s Choice Book Awards, as well as middle grade novel The Last Great Adventures of the PB&J Society. 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.

Dasher Can't Wait for Christmas

Candlewick Press

Matt Tavares is the author-illustrator of the New York Times best-selling picture book Dasher, as well as Red and Lulu, the graphic novel Hoops, and several sports biographies, including Becoming Babe Ruth and Growing Up Pedro. He is also the illustrator of Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Jeff Gottesfeld; The Gingerbread Pirates by Kristin Kladstrup; ’Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore; and Over the River and Through the Wood by L. Maria Child; among many other picture books. Matt Tavares lives in Ogunquit, Maine.

Billie Blaster and the Robot Army from Outer Space

Amulet Books

Laini Taylor is the award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy and the Strange the Dreamer duology, among other books.

Papá's Magical Water-Jug Clock

Minerva

Jesús Trejo is a comedian, the creator of the Showtime special Stay at Home Son, and an actor on the Netflix series Mr. Iglesias, and the TV Land series Teachers. Jesús is also the host of the web series Tacos Con Todo, in which he navigates the LA taco scene with celebrity guests. Born and raised in Long Beach, California, where he still lives, Jesús appears regularly at international comedy festivals and stand-up venues.

Two Green Birds

Groundwood Books

Geraldo Valério was born in Brazil, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Drawing, followed by a Master of Arts at New York University. His books include My Book of Butterflies (two starred reviews); At the Pond (Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award honour book, two starred reviews); Blue Rider (two starred reviews) and Turn On the Night (three starred reviews). His work has been published in Canada, the US, Brazil, Portugal, France, the UK, and China. Geraldo lives in Toronto.

National Monuments of the U.S.A

Wide Eyed Editions/Quarto

Cameron Walker is a writer based on California’s Central Coast. Her writing includes features, essays, and fiction, with a focus on science, nature, and curiosities in and around the Pacific. Cameron’s work has won awards from the American Society of Journalists & Authors and the American Institute of Physics. In 2019, she won the Tamaqua Award from Hidden River Arts Press for her essay collection, Points of Light. Cameron is a part of SciLance, a group of science writers who have been together since 2005.

Prak Fills the House

Peachtree

Donna L. Washington is a professional storyteller, multiple-award-winning recording artist, and children’s book author (Boo Stew). She performs at festivals, schools, and libraries, and gives workshops for parents and educators. Her many storytelling recordings have received Gold and Silver Parents’ Choice Awards, Storytelling World Awards, iParenting Media Awards, Children’s Music Web Awards, National Parenting Publications Awards Honors, and others.

Go-Go Guys

Chronicle Books

Rowboat Watkins is a recipient of the Sendak Fellowship and an Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor Award. He lives with his family in Brooklyn, but you can also visit him at rowboatwatkins.com.

Zombie Season

Scholastic

Zombie Season is Justin Weinberger’s second novel, following his debut, Reformed. Justin has also contributed to numerous television dramas, including the FX on Hulu series, The Patient, and FX’s The Americans, for which he shared in the Writers Guild of America’s award for Outstanding Writing — Drama Series. Originally from Easton, Pennsylvania, Justin makes his home in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, Chelsea, and their dog, Penny.

Their Vicious Games

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Joelle Wellington grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where her childhood was spent wandering the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Her love of the written word led her to a BA in creative writing and international studies. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading and when she’s not doing that, she’s attempting to bake bread with varying degrees of success or strengthening her encyclopedia-like pop culture knowledge. Their Vicious Games is her first young adult novel.

When You Can Swim

Scholastic

Jack Wong has created a masterpiece drawn from his lived experience of growing up with a grandmother who spent her childhood in the rivers of Borneo and a mother — growing up in late 1950s China — who was forbidden to learn to swim. Born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, Jack holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, Canada, where he now lives with his wife and two cats.

Jawbreaker

Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

Alterations

Union Square Kids

Ray Xu is a Toronto-based story artist and animator for television and feature films. His recent work includes the 2021 Netflix animated hit The Mitchells vs. The Machines; DreamWorks’ Captain Underpants Movie; the upcoming TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, and more. He invites you to visit him online at raymond-xu.com.