Erin Entrada Kelly
Author
New York Times-bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly is a two-time Newbery Medalist and National Book Award Finalist living in Delaware. She has an MFA in fiction from Rosemont College. and an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Moore College of Art and Design. Kelly is on the founding faculty of the University of San Francisco’s Writing for Young Readers graduate program. Kelly has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, including the 2025 Newbery Medal for The First State of Being, 2018 Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe, a 2021 Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, the 2023 NAIBA Book of the Year Award for Those Kids From Fawn Creek, and the 2017 APALA Award for The Land of Forgotten Girls, among many other honors. http://www.erinentradakelly.com
Daniel Nayeri
Author
Daniel Nayeri was born in Iran and spent some years as a refugee before immigrating to Oklahoma at age seven with his family. He is the author of several books, including EVERYTHING SAD IS UNTRUE (A True Story), winner of the Printz Award, THE MANY ASSASSINATIONS OF SAMIR, THE SELLER OF DREAMS, winner of the Newbery Honor, and THE TEACHER OF NOMAD LAND, winner of the National Book Award and Newbery Honor. He lives in the U.S. with his wife and son. http://www.danielnayeri.com
Rebecca Stead
Author
Rebecca Stead is a bestselling author of books for young people, including When You Reach Me, The Experiment, Liar & Spy, First Light, Goodbye Stranger, The List of Things That Will Not Change, Bob (with Wendy Mass), and The Lost Library (ditto). Her books have been awarded the Newbery Medal, Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, and named New York Times Notable Books for Children, NPR’s Books We Love, Amazon’s Best Book of the Year for Children, and Time’s Top Ten Books for Children. Rebecca’s first picture book, Anything (illustrated by Gracey Zhang), was published in 2025. http://www.rebeccastead.com
Jason Chin
Author & Illustrator
Author and illustrator Jason Chin is best known for his picture books about science and nature. He has received numerous accolades including the Caldecott Medal for Watercress by Andrea Wang, the Robert F. Sibert Medal for Life After Whale by Lynn Brunelle, and the Orbis Pictus Award, a Caldecott Honor and a Sibert Honor for Grand Canyon. His newest book, Hurricane, is about a community preparing for an approaching hurricane and the meteorologists who are working to forecast it. He lives in Vermont with his wife, Deirdre Gill, and their children.http://jasonchin.net
Veera Hiranandani
Author
Veera Hiranandani is the award-winning author of several books for young people. Most notably, her recent picture book, MANY THINGS AT ONCE, was a recipient of the 2025 APALA Asian American Literature Award. She’s also the author of the Newbery Honor-winning THE NIGHT DIARY and HOW TO FIND WHAT YOU’RE NOT LOOKING FOR, a Sydney Taylor Book Award winner. She earned her MFA in fiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College. A former editor at Simon & Schuster, she’s now a faculty member with the MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at The Vermont College of Fine Arts. http://www.veerahiranandani.com
Kekla Magoon
Author & Illustrator
Kekla Magoon (she/her) is the New York Times bestselling author of over 30 novels and nonfiction books for children and teens. Her work often addresses themes of identity, community, empowerment, and social justice. Popular titles include THE SECRET LIBRARY, THE SEASON OF STYX MALONE, THE ROCK AND THE RIVER, and REVOLUTION IN OUR TIME: THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY’S PROMISE TO THE PEOPLE, which was a Michael L. Printz Honor winner, Coretta Scott King Honor winner, and National Book Award Finalist. Kekla also co-writes the Blue Stars graphic novel series. She lives in Vermont with two energetic orange cats. http://keklamagoon.com
Varian Johnson
Author
Varian Johnson is the author of several novels for children and young adults, including THE PARKER INHERITANCE, which won both Coretta Scott King Author Honor and Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor awards; THE GREAT GREEN HEIST, an ALA Notable Children’s book and Kirkus Reviews Best Book; and the graphic novel TWINS, illustrated by Shannon Wright, an Eisner nominee and NPR Best Book. Varian received a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Varian lives outside of Austin, TX with his family and can be found online at varianjohnson.com.
Sarah Beth Durst
Author
Sarah Beth Durst is the New York Times bestselling author of over thirty books for kids, teens, and adults, including cozy fantasy The Spellshop. She’s been awarded the American Library Association’s Alex Award, the Libby Book Award for Best Fantasy, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Several of her books have been optioned for film/television, including Drink Slay Love, which was made into a TV movie and was a question on Jeopardy! She lives in Stony Brook, New York, with her husband, her children, and her ill-mannered cat. Visit her at sarahbethdurst.com.
Hena Khan
Author & Illustrator
Hena Khan has been publishing books for children for over two decades. She writes award-winning picture books, middle grade fiction, pick-your-path adventures, and graphic novels. Her stories are often centered around her culture, friendship, community, and family. Hena’s bestselling novels include Amina’s Voice, More to the Story and We Are Big Time. She is also the author of the Zayd Saleem Chasing the Dream, Zara’s Rules, and Super You! series. Hena’s acclaimed picture books include Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Under My Hijab, and Behind My Doors, among others. Hena lives in her hometown of Rockville, Maryland with her family. http://www.henakhan.com
Torrey Maldonado
Author
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Torrey Maldonado is an acclaimed author and educator impacting middle grade, young adult, and elementary literature. With nearly thirty years teaching, he’s been celebrated by two NYC Chancellors as a top culturally responsive educator. His books, including Hands, What Lane?, Tight, and Secret Saturdays, are NPR, Washington Post, Oprah, and NY Times “Best Books of the Year”. Inspired by his students’ lives, they’re praised for authenticity about friendship, family, and choices. Torrey contributes to anthologies and children’s literature welcomes his 2026 debut picture-book, Just Right, and upcoming ones Little Artist and Uncle. Learn more at torreymaldonado.com
Kate Messner
Author
New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner is passionately curious and has written over seventy books for kids who wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Snow , The Whale’s Tale and the Otter’s Side of the Story, and Axolotl-Ella, and novels like The Trouble with Heroes and Breakout. Kate also writes the popular History Smashers graphic nonfiction series and the Wildlife Rescue chapter books and leads the multi-author team behind The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class chapter books. She lives on Lake Champlain with her family and is a proud Adirondack 46er. www.katemessner.com
Loree Griffin Burns
Author
Loree writes stories that celebrate our natural world and the people who study it. While researching her award-winning books for children, she has beachcombed on both coasts, cruised the Pacific in search of plastic, surveyed birds in Central Park, stung herself with a honey bee, visited the wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly (on horseback!), lived on an uninhabited volcanic island in Iceland, and spent the wee hours of an entire summer of evenings studying the moths in her backyard. When not adventuring, Loree teaches writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts and moonlights as an independent bookseller.https://loreeburns.com/
Amy Guglielmo
Author
Amy Guglielmo is an author, artist, educator, community arts and STEAM advocate. She writes children’s books about strong, pioneering women, and artsy, innovative people. Her titles include the Christopher award-winning POCKET FULL OF COLORS: The Magical World of Mary Blair Disney Artist Extraordinaire and HOW TO BUILD A HUG: Temple Grandin and Her Amazing Squeeze Machine with co-author Jacqueline Tourville, CEZANNE’S PARROT and JUST BEING DALI, and the WHAT THE ARTIST SAW series with The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her most recent book is LIKE A RAINBOW: The Colorful Story of Cyndi Lauper.http://www.amyguglielmo.com
Arihhonni David
Author & Illustrator
Arihhonni (Honni) Cannon Clay David is an Illustrator from Akwesasne Ontario. A Member of the Haudenosaunee Kaniekehaka(Mohawk) people. Growing up with the legends and imagery of the Haudenosaunee people he developed a visual mind and love of art. He has published 2 childrens books based off those legends. David’s first childrens book is titled “Who Will Win” showing a race between The Bear and Turtle, with a twist ending. The Second is titled: “The Good Game” a book based on the first games of Tewa:araton or Lacrosse between the animals of the forest! http://honnidavid.com
Maxwell Eaton III
Author & Illustrator
MAXWELL EATON III is the critically acclaimed author and illustrator of dozens of graphic novels and picture books for young readers, including the Survival Scout series, The Flying Beaver Brothers series, The Truth About Your Favorite Animals series, A Book of Maps for You, Looking for Peppermint, Bear Goes Sugaring and more. Maxwell builds boats and writes with his wife and two children in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State. http://www.maxwelleaton.com
Rebecca Donnelly
Author
Rebecca Donnelly is the author of more than 40 books for young readers, including the Indies Introduce and Kids’ Indie Next pick How to Stage a Catastrophe and the School Library Journal Best Books of 2023 pick Total Garbage: A Messy Dive into Trash, Waste, and Our World. Born in the UK and raised in California, Rebecca worked in children’s library services for 14 years and now lives and writes in northern New York State. https://rebeccadonnellywrites.com
Adirondack Family Book Festival 