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Erin Entrada Kelly

[Press Kit]

Erin Entrada Kelly has received numerous awards and recognition for her work, including the 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, 2017 APALA Award for The Land of Forgotten Girls, and the 2016 Golden Kite Honor Award for Blackbird Fly, among many other honors. She is also the author and illustrator of the Marisol Rainey collection.

She is a New York Times bestseller whose work has been translated into several languages. Her fifth book, Lalani of the Distant Sea, was a finalist for the 2020 Mythopoeic Award for Children’s Fantasy and was named one of the best books of the year by the New York Public Library, The Horn Book, Booklist, BookPage, and others.

Before becoming a children’s author, Erin worked as a journalist and magazine editor. She received numerous awards for community service journalism, feature writing, and editing from the Louisiana Press Association and the Associated Press.

Erin has a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies and liberal arts from McNeese State University and an MFA from Rosemont College. She lives in Delaware. She teaches in the MFA programs at Hamline University and Rosemont College. She also teaches fiction with Gotham Writers Workshop.

Erin is Filipina-American.

You can learn more about Erin by visiting Frequently Asked Questions. You can even take a peek at her notebook.

  • Birthday: September 5
  • Sign: Virgo
  • Favorite Word: Peculiar
  • Favorite Season: Spring
  • Favorite Golden Girl: Rose Nylund
  • Pronoun: She/Her
  • Pets: Marlowe and Maisie, rescue dogs
  • Another Pet: Pinball, a grumpy hedgehog
  • Favorite Color: Red
  • Second Favorite Color: Yellow
  • Favorite Book: When You Reach Me
  • Another Favorite Book: Holes
  • Another Favorite Book: Hurricane Child
  • Favorite Author: Rebecca Stead
  • Another Favorite Author: Brandy Colbert
  • Another Favorite Author: Kacen Callender
  • Favorite Animal: Dogs
  • Second Favorite Animal: All the other animals …
  • … except: Frogs and wasps
  • Favorite Types of Video Games: First-person exploration
  • Favorite Video Game: What Remains of Edith Finch
  • Second Favorite Video Game: Gone Home
  • Favorite Filipino Snack: Lumpia
  • Favorite Filipino Food: Pancit Canton
  • Favorite Place to Write: The library
  • Favorite Place to Get Books: The library
  • Favorite Place: The library
  • Least Favorite Place: Traffic
  • Favorite Pen: Bic Cristal in every color
  • Pet Peeve: Rude/Arrogant/Mean People
  • Favorite Kind of Movies: Scary
  • Second Favorite Kind of Movies: Scarier
  • Favorite Scary Movie: Poltergeist (1982)
  • Another Favorite Scary Movie: The Thing (1982)
  • Favorite Scary TV Show: The Twilight Zone
  • Favorite Part of School Visits: Q&A
  • Favorite Beatle: George
  • Favorite Snack: Peanut Butter
  • Favorite Drink: Coffee
  • Second Favorite Drink: Diet Pepsi
  • Favorite Sports Team: Philadelphia Eagles
  • Favorite Subject in Elementary School: Recess
  • Favorite Subject in Middle School: Dismissal
  • Favorite Subject in High School: Graduation
  • Favorite Candy: Mike and Ike
  • Favorite Cereal: Cap’n Crunch
  • Favorite TV Show: Star Trek
  • Favorite Trek Character: Spock
  • Favorite Trek Captain: Kirk
  • Favorite Trek Movie: Wrath of Khan
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