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Larsen, Mylisa

Larsen, Mylisa

Mylisa Larsen has been telling stories for a long time. This has caused her to get gimlet-eyed looks from her parents, her siblings and, later, her own children when they felt that certain stories had been embellished beyond acceptable limits. She now writes children’s books where her talents for hyperbole are actually rewarded. She is the author of the picture books All Of Those Babies, How To Put Your Parents To Bed, If I Were A Kangaroo and Ho Ho Homework and the novels Playing Through The Turnaround and Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better. She has lived in eight states and two countries and has loved things about all of them. Right now, she lives in upstate New York near one of the Finger Lakes where she loves the water and the trees and the old libraries. https://www.mylisalarsen.com/

Awards

Playing Through The Turnaround-starred reviews in Kirkus and Publishers Weekly
If I Were A Kangaroo-chosen by Raising Readers to be distributed to 11,000 kids in Maine
If I Were A Kangaroo-selected for Imagination Library selection in 2018 and 2019

3 Fun Facts

1. I grew up on a farm
2. I’ve lived in eight different states and in Brazil.
3. I have a dog named Sophie who is convinced that pirates are trying to break into the house at all hours.

LaRocca, Rajani

Rajani LaRocca was born in India, raised in Kentucky, and now lives in the Boston area, where she practices medicine and writes award-winning books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor winning middle grade novel in verse, Red, White, and Whole. She’s always been an omnivorous reader, and now she is an omnivorous writer of fiction and nonfiction, novels and picture books, prose and poetry. She finds inspiration in her family, her childhood, the natural world, math, science, and just about everywhere she looks. Learn more about Rajani and her books at www.RajaniLaRocca.com.

Awards
Newbery Honor, Walter Dean Myers Award, Massachusetts Book Award, New England Book Award, SCBWI Golden Kite Award, SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title, NCTE Notable Poetry Book, among many state lists and other awards

3 Fun Facts

1. I’m a practicing doctor
2. I love to cook and bake
3. I have a cute fluffy dog

Bulion, Leslie

Leslie Bulion creates award-winning science poetry steeped in hands-on learning experiences, nature observation, research, humor and imagery in a variety of poetic forms. Her illustrated collections invite readers on multi-layered science adventures exploring spiders, birds, sea creatures, insects, amphibians, and more. Leslie’s graduate science background and years as a school social worker inform both her poetry and her science-infused novels for young readers. She offers lively and engaging author visits worldwide. Her two newest science poetry books, SERENGETI: PLAINS OF GRASS and GALAPAGOS: ISLANDS OF CHANGE take readers on poetic tours of two of Earth’s remarkable ecosystems (Peachtree 2022, 2023). www.lesliebulion.com

NCTE Notable Poetry, NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book, Bank Street College Best Books, Parents’ Choice Awards, AAAS Outstanding Science Book

3 Fun Facts

1. The first critter I ever saw while scuba diving was a common mudpuppy (a large, freshwater aquatic salamander—an amphibian) in the depths of freezing cold Cayuga Lake, Ithaca, NY.
2. My parents were teachers who also worked as summer camp counselors, so I started summer camp when I was three years old. My favorite camp was just about an hour south of Hudson, in Beacon, NY.
3. I never go exploring without my __________? How would you fill in this blank? For me, it’s my rubber boots!

Leno, Katrina

Katrina Leno was born on the East Coast and currently lives in Los Angeles. She is the author of seven critically acclaimed novels: Sometime in Summer, Horrid, You Must Not Miss, Summer of Salt, Everything All at Once, The Lost & Found, and The Half Life of Molly Pierce. Her eighth book, and her first for middle grade readers, comes out in June 2023 and is called The Umbrella Maker’s Son. You can visit her online at Katrinaleno.com

Awards
– Horrid was featured in OwlCrate’s September 2020 box
– You Must Not Miss received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist
– Summer of Salt received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal and is routinely featured on LGBTQI+ book lists

3 Fun Facts

1. Moving to Los Angeles nine years ago gave me a newfound appreciation for the rain. My upcoming middle grade book, The Umbrella Maker’s Son, is a love letter to those dark, gray days I love so much.
2. I collect fountain pens and own a truly ridiculous amount of notebooks, rubber stamps, washi tape, and journaling supplies.
3. My favorite movie of all time is Practical Magic. It was a big inspiration for Summer of Salt! I can genuinely watch it every single day forever and never get sick of it.

LaBarge, Melanie

Melanie LaBarge is a writer living in Upstate New York with her partner, Shane, and her son, Julian. She holds a BA and MA in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Her favorite color is yellow and her favorite museum is MoMA. https://melanielabarge.com/books

3 Fun Facts

1. The author and illustrator are friends who decided to make a book about the artists they loved one day.
2. Melanie studied women and art in college while raising her son, Julian, so this book is a culmination of those two experiences.
3. Caroline is an amazing illustrator, artist, and graphic designer whose visual signature can be seen all over upstate New York.

Laiz, Jana

Jana Laiz is a writer with a purpose. The author of the triple award-winning novel, Weeping Under This Same Moon, Moonbeam Silver Medal Winner, The Twelfth Stone, Elephants of the Tsunami, “A Free Woman On God’s Earth, The True Story of Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman, The Slave Who Won Her Freedom, Thomas & Autumn, Simon Says ~ Tails Told By The Red Lion Inn Ambassador, Billy Budd in the Breadbox, The Story of Herman Melville & Eleanor, and Blanket of Stars, Jana believes that honoring diversity can change the world. She is the very first Writer-In-Residence at Herman Melville’s beloved Arrowhead. www.janalaiz.com

ForeWord review Gold Medal Winner
Moonbeam Children’s Book awards Silver medalist
International Reading Association Notable

3 Fun Facts

1. I have a Pitbull
2. I play the Irish penny whistle and the harp
3. I was the Jacks Champion in high school

Lerangis, Peter

Lerangis, Peter

Peter Lerangis‘s books have sold nearly 7 million copies and been translated into 35 languages. His nine N.Y. Times bestsellers include the entire SEVEN WONDERS fantasy series and his 39 CLUES books. Recent books include BEASTIES, about five friends who become Central Park animals on a school field trip and THROWBACK, his exciting time-travel trilogy. He’s written many Junior Library Guild selections, and his YA novel SOMEBODY, PLEASE TELL ME WHO I AM won an ALA Schneider Award. He’s also performed on Broadway, run a marathon, rock-climbed in Yosemite during a 6.1 earthquake, and graduated Harvard with a degree in biochemistry. peterlerangis.com

Awards
ALA Schneider Award for best book depicting the disability experience; ALA Quick Picks; Multiple Junior Library Guild Awards; ALA Best Books; New York Public Library Best Books; Bank Street Library Best Books.

3 Fun Facts

1. My left pinkie has camptodactyly, which means it can’t straighten, and I have worked it into the plot of a book.
2. I sang and acted in a Broadway show.
3. The letters of my full name can be rearranged into Sergeant Peril.

Lehman, Barbara

Lehman, Barbara

Barbara Lehman was born in Chicago, attended Pratt Institute, and is now based in the Hudson Valley. Her illustrations have been in exhibitions at The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, The Art Institute of Chicago and the Central Children’s Room of the New York Public Library and she has shared her books with children at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her New York Times bestseller THE RED BOOK was awarded a Caldecott Honor. www.barbaralehmanbooks.com

Awards
Some honors that my books have received: Caldecott Honor, New York Times Bestseller List, Premio Andersen [Italy], ALA Notable books, Junior Library Guild Selections, CCBC Best Books of the Year, Kirkus Best Children’s Books, New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, Parent’s Choice Gold, Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year, The Horn Book Fanfare list.

3 Fun Facts

1. I learned to ride a unicycle in childhood.
2. I also learned to juggle.
3. No, I did not run away to the circus….

Lehrhaupt, Adam

Lehrhaupt, Adam

Adam Lehrhaupt is the award-winning author of multiple books, including Warning: Do Not Open This Book!, Please: Open This Book!, Chicken in Charge, I Will Not Eat You, Wordplay and Idea Jar. He has traveled to six continents, performed on Broadway, and lived on a communal farm. He firmly believes that opening a book is a good thing, even if there are monkeys in it. Adam currently lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, with his wife, two sons, and two bizarre dogs. Follow Adam on twitter, Instagram, and Google+ @lehrhaupt for the occasional brilliant thought or picture, and at adamlehrhaupt.com.

3 Fun Facts

1. My mom has a farm with both chickens and sheep.
2. I enjoy skiing.
3. I’m really not this short, it’s an optical illusion. I’m just really far away.

Lewis, Kevin

Lewis, Kevin

Kevin Lewis plays with words like kids play with blocks. He can arrange them in rhythmic rows (CHUGGA CHUGGA CHOO CHOO, 1998), stack them up (THE LOT AT THE END OF MY BLOCK, 2001) and then knock them down again (THE RUNAWAY PUMPKIN, 2003). He takes them on the car (MY TRUCK IS STUCK, 2002), to the playground (DINOSAUR DINOSAUR, 2006), in the tub (TUGGA TUGGA TUG BOAT, 2006), and he’s even been known to use them to get his own way (NOT INSIDE THIS HOUSE, 2011). He lives in a large, 200-year old farmhouse in New York’s Hudson Valley with his husband and a dog named Kat.

3 Fun Facts

1. I have a huge model train collection.
2. I have a dog named “Kat.”
3. I like to bike and hike.