Guys Read: Heroes & Villains

Jon Scieszka is the National Ambassador for Children's Literature emeritus and the bestselling author of more than twenty-five books for kids, including The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, Math Curse, Robot Zot!, and the Time Warp Trio series. Jon founded Guys Read to encourage a passion for reading among young boys, with the philosophy that boys love to read most when they are reading things they love. A former elementary school teacher, Jon lives in Brooklyn with his family. For more great books, more great facts, and more about your favorite authors, head over to www.guysread.com. You'll be glad you did.

Christopher Healy is the author of No One Leaves the Castle as well as the Hero’s Guide series, whose first book, The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom, was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. Before becoming a writer, he worked as an actor, an ad copywriter, a toy store display designer, a fact-checker, a dishwasher, a journalist, a costume shop clothing stitcher, a children’s entertainment reviewer, and a haunted house zombie. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two children, and a dog named Duncan. You can visit him online at christopherhealy.com.

Sharon Creech has written twenty-one books for young people and is published in over twenty languages. Her books have received awards in both the U.S. and abroad, including the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor for The Wanderer, and Great Britain’s Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler.Before beginning her writing career, Sharon Creech taught English for fifteen years in England and Switzerland. She and her husband now live in Maine, “lured there by our grandchildren,” Creech says.www.sharoncreech.com

Deborah Hopkinson is the author of Small Places, Close to Home and Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen, among more than fifty acclaimed works for young readers including picture books, middle-grade fiction, and nonfiction that help bring history and research alive. Deborah lives near Portland, Oregon with her family and a menagerie of pets. You can visit her online at www.deborahhopkinson.com.

Pam Muñoz Ryan was born in Bakersfield, California. Like her character in “Matchmaker,” she was an obsessive reader by seventh grade. She has written over forty books, including Esperanza Rising, inspired by her Mexican grandmother’s immigration story. It garnered many awards, including the Pura Belpré Award. Later novels include Becoming Naomi León; Echo, which won a Newbery Honor and the Kirkus Prize; and Mañanaland; as well as The Dreamer, another recipient of the Pura Belpré Award. She is also the author of the historical fiction picture book, Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride and the biography When Marian Sang, both illustrated by Brian Selznick. In 2018, Pam was the US candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.

Eugene Yelchin grew up in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where he trained as an artist and designed sets and costumes for the theater and ballet. His artwork has appeared in newspapers, magazines, and advertisements. He even drew the first polar bears used in the Coca-Cola commercials. He has also written and illustrated many children’s books. His first novel, Breaking Stalin’s Nose, received a Newbery Honor and was named one of the best books of 2011 by The Horn Book, and his novel The Haunting of Falcon House was a Golden Kite Award winner.

Jack Gantos is the celebrated author of Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor Book. He is also the author of the popular picture books about Rotten Ralph, and Jack's Black Book, the latest in his acclaimed series of semi-autobiographical story collections featuring his alter ego, Jack Henry. Mr. Gantos lives with his wife and daughter in Boston, Massachusetts.

Lemony Snicket had an unusual education, which may or may not explain his ability to evade capture. He is the author of the thirteen volumes in A Series of Unfortunate Events, several picture books, including The Dark, and the books collectively titled All the Wrong Questions.