New York Times–bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly was awarded the Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe and a Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space. She is a professor of children’s literature in the graduate fiction and publishing programs at Rosemont College. She is also the author of The Land of Forgotten Girls, winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature; You You Go First, a Spring 2018 Indie Next Pick; Lalani of the Distant Sea, an Indie Next Pick; and Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey, which she also illustrated.
'Gripping, complex and reassuring. If you need to ditch other people's expectations and reach for the stars, this book is for you!' * Emily Gale * 'A lovely book, filled with warmth and wisdom, delicious humour, and characters I utterly adored-I did not want it to end.' * Jaclyn Moriarty * 'Small-town life for the twelve seventh graders of Fawn Creek, Louisiana, gets turned upside down...when new student Orchid Mason arrives...Kelly has created a strong ensemble cast of students... with realistic problems rooted in family life, friendship, and school. Having grown up pigeonholed into expected roles, how can they fit in while following their own passions?...An emotionally resonant story about authenticity and belonging.' * Kirkus Reviews (starred review) * 'Kelly does a brilliant job here with an ensemble cast...the various characters pop into fully realised 3-D.' * Horn Book (starred review) * 'Uplifting...a raw, real exploration of belonging that's also sweetly hopeful.' * Publishers Weekly (starred review) * 'Newbery Award-winner Kelly delivers another poignant and pitch-perfect middle-grade novel and lays bare quiet truths and universal childhood experiences with tremendous emotional resonance...This powerful and thought-provoking story champions acceptance and serves as a bittersweet reminder to see the beauty in oneself as well as others.' * Shelf Awareness (starred review) *