Juliana Brandt is an author and kindergarten teacher with a passion for storytelling that guides her in both of her jobs. She lives in her home state of Minnesota, and her writing is heavily influenced by travels around the country and a decade living in the south. When not working, she is usually exploring the great outdoors. Her middle grade novels include The Wolf of Cape Fen, A Wilder Magic, Monsters in the Mist, and her newest, Exit Nowhere. Visit her at julianabrandt.com.

Abby Cooper lives in Minnesota with her husband, son, and miniature poodle. A former teacher and school librarian, her favorite things in the world (besides writing) are getting and giving book recommendations and sharing her love of reading with others. Before her latest book, True Colors, she published three other middle grade novels: Friend or Fiction, Sticks & Stones (a Minnesota Book Award finalist), and Bubbles. Visit her at abbycooperauthor.com.

Nina Hamza is a writer and physician who lives in Minnesota but grew up in South India and Saudi Arabia; she struggles with math, calculating time zones, and parking. She is the author of the acclaimed debut Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year and now Samira’s (Worst) Best Summer. Her favorite part of being a writer has been meeting kids who learned something from her books that she hadn’t even intended. Visit her at ninhamza.com.

Alison McGhee writes books for all ages in all forms, from novels to poems to picture books to memoir. Her most popular books include the novel Shadow Baby, a Today Show Book Club pick and Pulitzer Prize nominee; the Geisel Award winner Bink and Gollie (co-written with Kate DiCamillo); and the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book Someday. Her work has been translated into more than 20 languages and has won many fellowships and awards, and she has taught creative writing at Metropolitan State University, Vermont College, and Hamline University’s MFA program.