Middle Grade Presenters

More presenters will be added in the weeks to come.
The detailed session schedule will be available in late August.

 

Middle Grade Presenters

 
 

John David Anderson

John David Anderson is the award-winning, best-selling author of several novels for young readers. His books have sold more than a half million copies, have been published in multiple languages, and have earned multiple starred reviews from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, and School Library Journal. His works frequently appear on state reading lists and many have been Junior Library Guild selections. When he’s not writing, John visits schools and classrooms in the U.S. and abroad— both in person and virtually—inspiring young people to harness the power of their imaginations and share their stories. Prior to becoming a novelist, he taught literature and composition at the University of Illinois. He currently lives in Indianapolis with his wife, two children, and cat Smudge.

www.johndavidanderson.org

From the beloved author of Posted comes the story of Zeke Stahls—a thoroughly average twelve-year-old who somehow finds himself in a competition to be named the World's Greatest Kid.

 

Alan Gratz

Alan Gratz is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of a number of novels for young readers, including Prisoner B-3087, Refugee, Ban This Book, Allies, Ground Zero, Two Degrees, and Captain America: The Ghost Army. A Knoxville, Tennessee native, Alan and his family now live in Asheville, North Carolina.

www.alangratz.com

New York Times bestselling author Alan Gratz (Refugee; Ground Zero) is back, tackling the urgent topic of climate change in this breathtaking, action-packed novel that will keep readers turning pages while making their own plans to better the world.

In this thrilling historical adventure set during World War II, Steve Rogers (AKA Captain America) and his young sidekick, Bucky Barnes, encounter threat like none they've ever seen -- a Ghost Army. The dead of this war and wars past are coming back to life, impervious to bullets, flames, or anything else the Allies can throw at them. The armies rise from the ground in the night and seem to disappear without a trace. How can Cap and Buck fight something that's already dead? And just what does the mysterious Baron Mordo―sitting in his castle atop nearby Wundagore Mountain―have to do with this?

Donna Barba Higuera

Donna Barba Higuera grew up in Central California and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. She has spent her entire life blending folklore with her experiences into stories that fill her imagination. Donna is the author of El Cucuy Is Scared, Too!; the forthcoming The Yellow Handkerchief; Lupe Wong Won’t Dance, winner of a Pura Belpré Honor and a PNBA award; and The Last Cuentista, winner of the Newbery Medal and the Pura Belpré Medal.

www.dbhiguera.com

From Donna Barba Higuera, Newbery and Pura Belpré Medal-winning author of The Last Cuentista, comes another novel to astonish us and create a whole new imaginative world, that holds a mirror to our own.

 

Tae Keller

Tae Keller grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she subsisted on kimchi, purple rice, and stories. Now, she writes about biracial girls trying to find their voices, and lives in Seattle with her husband and a multitude of books. She is the author of the Mihi Ever After series,The Science of Breakable Things and When You Trap a Tiger, winner of the Newbery Medal.

www.taekeller.com

Newbery Medalist Tae Keller continues the fantasy adventures of Mihi Whan Park and her friends as they revisit the fairy tale realm to solve a giant problem.

 

Kiyash Monsef

Kiyash Monsef is an Emmy-nominated producer and director, and a writer of short stories, videos, comic books, and games. He is inspired by his Persian heritage, and by a lifelong love of monsters and mythical creatures. His debut novel, Once There Was, was an instant New York Times bestseller. 

www.kiyash.com

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them meets Neil Gaiman in this “striking and heartfelt” (Kirkus Reviews) novel about an Iranian American girl who discovers that her father was secretly a veterinarian to magical creatures—and that she must take up his mantle, despite the many dangers.