Kyla Zhao writes novels starring women and girls of color who challenge gender stereotypes, including May the Best Player Win, Valley Verified, and The Fraud Squad. She and her books have been featured by media outlets such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Good Morning America, Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Buzzfeed, South China Morning Post, etc. Kyla has also been selected as a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, a Tatler Leader of Tomorrow, and awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the California State Assembly. She now works at a tech company in Silicon Valley after graduating from Stanford University in 2021. https://www.kylazhao.com

Awards

American Library Association (ALA) Feminist Book Project 2025 selection; Forbes 30 Under 30; Tatler Leader of Tomorrow; Certificate of Recognition by California State Assembly.

3 Fun Facts

1. I draft in font size 7.
2. I am a chocolate fiend but cannot stand plain chocolate (best combo: with peanut butter).
3. I love snapping photos of quirky custom license plates.