Author
Candace Fleming writes picture books, middle grade and YA biographies. Among her nonfiction titles are Giant Squid, Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart, and The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion and the Fall of Imperial Russia. 2022 titles include Murder Among Friends: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime, The Tide Pool Waits, Crash from Outer Space: Unraveling the Mystery of Flying Saucers, Alien Beings, and Roswell, and Polar Bear. She is the recipient of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the Orbis Pictus Award, as well as the two-time recipient of the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Nonfiction, the ALA Sibert Honor, and SCBWI’s Golden Kite Award.
Author
Annie Barrows is the author of many books for children, including the New York Times best-selling series Ivy and Bean, which is currently in production as a film series to be released by Netflix, and the Iggy books, which began in 2020 with The Best of Iggy. Other kids’ books include the mid-grade novel The Magic Half and its sequel, a young adult novel entitled Nothing, and, most recently, Like, a picture book illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Annie, together with her aunt Mary Ann Shaffer, coauthored The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which spent over a year on the New York Times Best Seller list and was translated into 34 languages as well as a motion picture. Annie’s second novel for adults, The Truth According to Us, also a national best-seller, was published in 2015.
Author
Tami Charles is the New York Times bestselling author of All Because You Matter and numerous books for children and young adults.
An undergraduate of Saint Elizabeth University, Tami received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Farleigh Dickinson University and thereafter became certified in principalship for the states of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Tami pursued her doctoral studies in Educational Leadership at Walden University, where she reached ABD status. For fourteen years, Tami served as a classroom teacher before following her childhood dream of becoming an author.
This would not have happened without the encouragement of her students. During her tenure, Tami and her fifth grade students explored a wide array of diverse middle grade novels and picture books. Doing so inspired Tami and her students to write their own short stories and plays, with some performed for the school and community at-large.
Publishing in 2018, Like Vanessa was Tami’s debut middle grade novel. It went on to earn Top 10 spots on the Indies Introduce and Spring Kids’ Next lists, three starred reviews, and a Junior Library Guild selection. Since then, she has published such titles as Definitely Daphne, Fearless Mary, Serena the GOAT, and Becoming Beatriz to name a few.
Her latest titles include YA novel-in-verse, Muted, which was a Buzzfeed Top 40 pick, and lyrical picture book, My Day with the Panye, which received a starred review from School Library Journal.
Tami’s work has been spotlighted in such outlets as Essence Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, The Today Show, and Good Morning America. When she isn’t writing, Tami can be found presenting at schools both stateside and abroad. As a former educator, Tami understands the true power of teaching. It extends beyond lesson plans, data collection, and testing. Teachers are in a unique position to empower students and cultivate the next generation of writers and thought-leaders.
Illustrator
Sam Ricks is the Geisel Award-winning illustrator of the Mo Jackson book series. He has illustrated more than 20 books for children, including The Best of Iggy, a new series by New York Times bestselling author, Annie Barrows. Sam is also a founding member of Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear and apparel company, where he currently works as VP of Creative Design.
Author
Melissa Stewart is the award-winning author of more than 200 science-themed nonfiction books for children, including the Sibert Medal Honoree Summertime Sleepers: Animals that Estivate, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen. She co-wrote5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction with Children’s Books, edited the anthology Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep: 50 Award-winning Authors Share the Secret of Engaging Writing, and maintains the award-winning blog Celebrate Nonfiction. Melissa’s highly-regarded website features a rich array of nonfiction writing resources.
