Middle Grade
Middle Grade writers from Minnesota.
Lisa Bullard
Lisa Bullard is the author of more than 100 books for young readers. Her offerings range from picture books to nonfiction titles to a middle grade mystery. Her novel Turn Left at the Cow was a Maud Hart Lovelace Award nominee for the 2017-2018 school year. Bullard enjoys doing school visits and is a long-time…
Lynne Jonell
Lynne Jonell is an author (and occasional illustrator) of 17 books for children. From picture books to chapter books to middle-grade novels for ages 8-12 and 10-14, her books all have an element of fantasy: magical hamsters, talking cats, kid-sized planes with a secret fuel, rodents with special powers, time travel, and more. Her novel…
Anika Fajardo
Anika Fajardo was born in Colombia and raised in Minnesota. She is the author of a book about that experience, Magical Realism for Non-Believers: A Memoir of Finding Family, which was awarded Best Book (Nonfiction) of 2020 from City Pages and was a finalist for the 2020 Minnesota Book Award. She is the author of…
Sean Jensen
Sean Jensen was born in South Korea, but he was raised in California, Massachusetts, and Virginia, mostly on or near military bases. He’s always been drawn to storytelling, a skill he developed at Northwestern University and crafted almost exclusively covering the NFL. During his career, he’s earned distinctions from the Illinois Associated Press, Minnesota Associated…
Patricia Bauer
Patricia Bauer spent almost four decades in the classroom and continues to share her passion for learning with people of all ages. Bauer and her husband, artist Dave Geister, created an activity book, Making Minnesota, for children of all ages. Published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press and funded by the Legacy Amendment, the book…
Cynthia (C.M.) Surrisi
Cynthia (C.M.) Surrisi has a BFA, J.D., and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She is author of picture books and middle grade cozy mysteries that are enjoyed equally by adults: The Maypop Kidnapping, Vampires On the Run, and A Side of Sabotage. Her mysteries have…
Lisa M. Bolt Simons
Lisa M. Bolt Simons has published more than 70 nonfiction and fiction books, as well as five middle grade “choose your path” novels and an adult history book. She’s twice received an Honorable Mention for the McKnight Artist Fellowship for Writers in Children’s Literature. Simons has also received three Minnesota State Arts Board grants, a…
Nathan Sacks
Nathan Sacks is a professional academic dissertation editor, children’s and young adult book writer, graphic novel translator, and occasional journalist. He was born and raised in Ames, Iowa and currently lives in uptown Minneapolis. He works on fiction, book-length nonfiction, and scholarly writing, and aims to provide fresh and original writing in a variety of…
Karen Pavlicin-Fragnito
Karen Pavlicin-Fragnito is an award-winning author, with book topics ranging from children’s fiction, to women’s journals, to guides for military families. She is a sought-after dynamic speaker known for her sense of humor and inspirational insights. She believes in the importance of community and the power of stories to transform lives.
Susan Latta
Susan Latta holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Hamline University. She is the author of Bold Women of Medicine: 21 Stories of Astounding Discoveries, Daring Surgeries, and Healing Breakthroughs. She has written on history, biography, and geography topics for AppleSeeds and Faces magazines and contributed freelance projects to Heinemann Leveled…