S Archives - Hudson Childrens Book Festival

Sterer, Gideon

Gideon Sterer Author Photo – Gideon Sterer

Sterer, Gideon

Gideon Sterer is a New York Times bestselling author who grew up in the woods of upstate New York. Not too far away, his parents owned a wildlife discovery center where he would run around after-hours and let the animals out. Inspired by his father, Gideon sported a bowl-cut / mullet / rat-tail thing for a few too many years. Currently, he lives in Brooklyn and appreciates the spectrum of dogs. Other than dogs, he likes football, pierogies, portals, archery, and liminal places where worlds blend. gideonsterer.com

Awards

NYT Bestseller / Indie Bestseller.

3 Fun Facts

1. I like Pierogis.
2. I like the Minnesota Vikings.
3. I like canoe camping.

Stout, Shawn K.

author photo_Shawn Stout 2021 – Shawn Stout

Stout, Shawn K.

Shawn K. Stout is the author of many acclaimed books for young readers, including ANATOMY OF LOST THINGS and THE IMPOSSIBLE DESTINY OF CUTIE GRACKLE, which was a 2023 Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year and a 2023-2024 nominee for the New Hampshire Great Stone Face Children’s Book Award. Shawn has an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives with her family in Maryland. www.shawnkstout.com

Awards

MAKING PLANS FOR NIGEL BINTY — starred reviews from Kirkus and Booklist; THE IMPOSSIBLE DESTINY OF CUTIE GRACKLE — 2023 Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year and a 2023-2024 nominee for the New Hampshire Great Stone Face Children’s Book Award.

3 Fun Facts

1. I have a menagerie of animals — 3 rescue dogs and 5 uppity chickens;
2. I have never been able to do a backward roll;
3. And I am distantly related (allegedly) to Maria von Trapp.

Schotter, Roni

Schotter, Roni

Roni Schotter is the award-winning author of 31 books for children, with a 32nd book coming in June, 2026. Well-known books of hers include NOTHING EVER HAPPENS ON 90TH STREET and THE BOY WHO LOVED WORDS. All of her books celebrate imagination & the power of words. www.ronischotter.com

Awards

National Jewish Book Award, Children’s Choice Platinum Award, Parents’ Choice Gold Award, Emmy Award for ABC After School Special adaptation of A Matter of Time, starred reviews in SLJ & Kirk’s, NCTE citations, etc.

3 Fun Facts

1. Favorite Flavors: Mocha, Cinnamon, Ginger.
2. Favorite Month: May, my birthday month.
3. Favorite Fun: Playing with my 2 Granddaughters.

Shah, Amar

Amar Shah is the author of the critically acclaimed Play the Game basketball trilogy and the upcoming graphic memoir Wish I Was a Baller (Scholastic). A multiple Emmy- winning writer and producer, Amar has held key roles at ESPN, Fox Sports, NFL Network, and the Orlando Magic. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Orlando Sentinel, SLAM, and the Washington Post. www.amarshahwrites.com

Awards

Amazon Top New Release, SLJ said “Lovers of basketball, especially fellow athletes, will devour this novel.”

3 Fun Facts

1. I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated for Kids with Shaquille O’Neal as a kid.
2. I worked at ESPN as my first job.
3. I have two kids.

Stokes, Mason

YA debut author Mason Stokes is a professor of English at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, where he teaches African American literature and queer fiction. In addition to his scholarly writing, Stokes is the author of the adult novel Saving Julian and the personal essay “Namesake,” which was selected by Jonathan Franzen for inclusion in the 2016 edition of Best American Essays. masonstokes.com

Awards

Starred review of ALL THE TRUTH in Publishers Weekly; Positive reviews in Kirkus, Booklist, School Library Journal, Forward Reviews, and Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books; author interview on WAMC’s The Roundtable

3 Fun Facts

1. I used to be a drummer.
2. I spent most of my adult life telling myself I would never write a novel.
3. According to my partner, I mispronounce any word beginning with “wh.”

Seales, Stephanie

Stephanie Seales is the California-born daughter of Panamanian immigrants and a children’s literature expert. Her debut picture book My Daddy Is a Cowboy (Abrams, 2024), illustrated by C.G. Esperanza, received a Caldecott Honor, Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, and six starred reviews. Stephanie is passionate about community and equity and understands the power of story, following Toni Morrison’s advice in writing the books she wants to read. She dreams and creates with her magical canine companion, Pan, near the water in the Hudson Valley, New York. www.stephanieseales.com

Awards

Caldecott Honor; Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; Publishers Weekly Best Books 2024; The Horn Book Fanfare 2024; New York Public Library Best Books 2024; Six starred reviews

3 Fun Facts

1. I love dogs, especially my sweet Pomeranian, Pan (my next book, Jodie Doesn’t Love Dogs, is about dogs!).
2. I’ve been writing stories since I was 5 years old and the first story I remember writing was inspired by The Land Before Time (dinosaurs are so cool!).
3. I never stopped reading kids books and have a master’s degree in Children’s Literature, so it’s extra cool to be an author now!

Sukumar, Suja

Sukumar, Suja

Suja Sukumar writes YA suspense novels featuring South Asian main characters battling villains while also dealing with their own inner demons. She is also a senior staff physician in a major health system in suburban Detroit, where she lives with her family and an elderly cat. When Mimi Went Missing is her debut novel. https://www.sujasukumar.com/

Awards

Listed on She Reads, Foreword Reviews, Teen Vogue, Booklist, Book Riot, Epic Reads, We Are Bookish, School Library Journal, among others.

3 Fun Facts

1. Started writing late (mid-forties) while working as a physician and never knew until then that I wanted to write.
2. I’ve failed miserably at plotting and am a pantser for life.
3. My TBR has taken over my home (keep buying books though I have so many I haven’t read).

Smiley, Jess Smart

JessSmartSmiley_BioPhoto2024_Screen – Jess Smiley

Smiley, Jess Smart

Jess Smart Smiley makes rad pictures with his bare hands and has helped thousands of children, teens, and adults around the world in making their own comics!

Jess is an award-winning, #1 bestselling author/illustrator of more than 20 books for young readers, including Let’s Make Comics and the What Happens Next series of comics readers can play.

Jess has created work for DisneyPixar, Dreamworks, Cartoon Network, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and is currently working through sketchbook #90, in which he is coming up with new characters, stories, and more! www.jess-smiley.com

Awards

#1 bestselling author/illustrator in 4 categories, 2023 recipient of the Krider Prize for Creativity, 2023 Guest of Honor at Life the Universe & Everything, named a “Top 40” by Utah Valley Magazine, recipient of “Arty” Award, and Guest at more than 100 around across the world.

3 Fun Facts

1. I was a background extra in a Hallmark Christmas movie.
2. I spent 3.5 years in bed with health problems.
3. I like to paint murals when I’m not making books.

Scrivan, Maria

Maria Scrivan is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning syndicated cartoonist. The first book in her graphic novel series, Nat Enough (Scholastic/Graphix), launched on April 7th, 2020, and became an instant New York Times bestseller followed by: Forget Me Nat, Absolutely Nat, Definitely Nat, Nat for Nothing, All is Nat Lost and Nat a Chance. The seventh and eighth books in the series will be published in 2026 and 2028, and a new series, Undercover Pup will publish in 2027 and 2028. http://www.mariascrivan.com

Awards

New York Times Bestseller, Canadian Bestselling Author, Sakura Award Nominee

3 Fun Facts

1. In addition to writing and drawing, I love trail running,
2. I love standing on my head,
3. And I love watching birds in window feeder over my drawing table.

Sanchez, Guido A.

Sanchez, Guido A.

Guido A. Sanchez is a writer, middle school principal, comic aficionado, and podcaster based in New York. He nurtures young people as they begin writing the myths of their own lives. After school, he co-hosts “Dear Watchers: The Omniversal Comic Book Podcast” and explores world-building and modern myths with his 30,000+ comic collection.

In 2015, he authored a girls’ puberty textbook still in use today. In 2023, his book Spider-Man: Web of Technology was released with Running Press. In 2024, he published Queer Mythology: Epic Legends from Around the World with the same publisher. http://www.GuidoASanchez.com

Awards

Submitted for awards
Many end of year lists from 2024 from newspapers, websites, podcasts, and book stores
Associated Press gift list

3 Fun Facts

1. I have over 35,000 comics & a comic book podcast.
2. I collect queer history ephemera.
3. My career started in LGBTQ & AIDS service organizations before transitioning into schools.