Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 24 books, including THE CROSSOVER, which received the 2015 John Newbery Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American literature for Children, the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, the NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and […]

Jane Yolen is often called the Hans Christian Andersen of America (though she will only admit to being the Hans Jewish Andersen of the States) has written over 360 books. She loves, loves, loves to read, though sometimes writing gets in the way. However, she has read every single Jane Yolen book, which also takes […]

Duncan Tonatiuh is the author-illustrator of The Princess and the Warrior, Funny Bones, Separate Is Never Equal, Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote, Diego Rivera: His World and Ours and Dear Primo. He is the illustrator of Esquivel! and Salsa. His books have received multiple accolades, among them the Pura Belpré Medal, the Sibert Medal, The […]

Sabaa Tahir grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s eighteen-room motel. There, she spent her time devouring fantasy novels, raiding her brother’s comic book stash, and playing guitar badly. She began writing An Ember in the Ashes while working nights as a newspaper editor. She likes thunderous indie rock, garish socks, and all […]

Nova Ren Suma is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Walls Around Us and other novels. She loves unreliable narrators and ghost stories, so if you see her in person, tell her a good, spine-tingling ghost story to keep her from sleeping through the night. Nova lives in a tiny apartment […]

Tanya Lee Stone was a happy participant in SLJ’s Battle of the Books back in 2011 when her The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie succumbed in Round 2 to Kathi Appelt’s Keeper. It wasn’t a total loss, though, as judge Naomi Shihab Nye referred to her as “the intrepid Tanya Lee Stone,” thus softening […]

Javaka Steptoe is an artist, designer, and illustrator.  He has illustrated 11 award-winning books, including CSK Award winner In Daddy’s Arms I Am Tall and CSK honor book Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow.  His most recent picture book, Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, received 5 starred reviews and reflects Javaka’s belief […]

Eliot Schrefer is a longtime fan of the Battle of the Books. He’s written many novels for young readers, including two installments of the New York Times-bestselling Spirit Animals series and the “Great Ape Quartet” of young adult books, two of which have been finalists for the National Book Award in Young People’s Literature. His […]