Authors in Forthcoming Volumes

Below are some of the authors and illustrators that will be featured in upcoming volumes of SATA. These include new entries on the swiftly rising stars of the field, as well as completely revised and updated entries (indicated with *) on some of the most notable and best-loved creators of books for children.

Chris D'Lacey ▮ Leading a dual life as a university histologist and children's book author, British writer D'Lacey has penned numerous picture books about animal characters, as well as a popular fantasy trilogy for older readers. D'Lacey's "Dragons" novels, which include The Fire Within and Icefire, focus on a college student named David Rain and his involvement with the quirky Pennykettle family, whose hobby is raising dragons.

Terri Farley ▮ Leaving her native Southern California for the horse country of Nevada, Farley has made her girlhood dreams of living and breathing horses come true. In addition to owning horses on her family's ranch, she also shares her passion for all things equine in her "Phantom Stallion" novel series, which follows the adventures of two friends and an elusive gray stallion known as the Phantom.

Cathy Hopkins ▮ A British writer and former rock singer who makes a point of keeping pace with the ins and outs of teen culture, Hopkins has written the novel series "Mates, Dates" and "Truth or Dare." Geared for middle-grade readers, her novels—such as Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras and White Lies and Barefaced Truths—deal with best-friend blowups, boyfriends, and annoying parents, all with Hopkins' sense of fun and edgy wit.

Ann Jungman ▮ Jungman's novel Vlad the Drac has become something of a childhood classic in her native England. First published in 1982, the book has sparked further adventures of Jungman's vegetarian vampire, and the prolific writer has also turned her quirky sense of humor to a long list of other titles, many of which draw on her interest in history.

*Rukhsana Khan ▮ The customs and culture of Pakistan are brought to life for English-speaking readers through Khan's award-winning picture books, such as The Roses in My Carpets and King of the Courtyard. Now a resident of Canada, Khan writes as a way to promote tolerance of major cultural differences, while her anthology Muslim Child: Understanding Islam through Stories and Poems addresses the subtle differences among young Muslims living in North America, Africa, and Pakistan.

Sharon E. McKay ▮ A former journalist and television reporter, McKay channels her skill with words and her love of history into several titles for the "My American Girl" series as well as her award-winning novels for young teen readers. Taking place in the mid-eighteenth century, McKay's novel Esther follows a spirited and self-reliant Jewish girl who bravely stows away on a ship bound for the New World when life in her native France holds few possibilities, while the horrors of World War I are brought to life through the experiences of a teen who survives the Battle of the Somme in Charlie Wilcox's Great War.

*Janet Quin-Harkin ▮ After a long and prolific career penning juvenile and teen novels, Quin-Harkin has attracted new fans with her "Constable Evans" and "Molly Murphy" mystery novels, published under the pseudonym Rhys Bowen. Popular with teen readers, "Molly Murphy" books such as Death of Riley and Murphy's Law focus on a turn-of-the-twentieth-century Irish immigrant whose penchant for taking chances finds her constantly involved in controversy.

Miriam Toews ▮ Life in a small Mennonite community is the focus of Toews' novels Summer of My Amazing Luck, A Boy of Good Breeding, and A Complicated Kindness. While written for a general audience, these novels focus on the difficult emotional terrain traversed by young women compelled to leave home in order to escape insufferable restrictions or to experience a fuller life. Family loyalty, guilt, abandonment, and other issues figure largely in Toews' fiction, which is set in the author's native Ontario.

*Wendelin Van Draanen ▮ Former computer-science teacher Van Draanen has made a big splash with middle-grade readers since introducing Samantha Keyes, a tomboy with a knack for getting into trouble. While the "Sammy Keyes" novels have hit home with girls, Van Draanen's "Shredderman" novels have won over preteen boys with their account of the adventures of nerdy fifth grader Nolan Byrd. In books such as Attack of the Tagger and Secret Identity, Nolan's virtual alter-ego Shredderman has the clout to defeat school bullies, right local wrongs, and even gain him some measure of local fame through his computer presence.

Thura al-Windawi ▮ In Thura's Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq al-Windawi presents her experiences as a young Iraqi woman living Baghdad during Saddam Hussein's oppressive regime as well as during the 2003 U.S. invasion of her native country.