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Here is my bio, which you may borrow as needed...
Award-winning author Jennifer J. Stewart
is known for her seriously funny books for children. Her debut novel,
concerning a hot-headed, time-traveling, princess-chasing dragon named
Madam Yang, is a favorite among schoolchildren. If
That Breathes Fire, We’re Toast! was named to VOYA’s Best Fantasy
list and the Oklahoma masterlist. She followed up her initial success
with a tale of a rich orphan and a greedy stepmother in The
Bean King’s Daughter, which Kirkus Reviews called “both amusing
and engaging... fluffy and fun, with just the right touch of message.”
Her latest book, Close
Encounters of a Third-World Kind, is loosely based upon her family’s
real life adventures working as medical volunteers in the kingdom of Nepal. Ms.
Stewart tended patients in village hospitals and taught health education
classes to women and children. She also trekked to Annapurna Base Camp
and rode a runaway elephant. She is thrilled that this book has been nominated
for Connecticut's 2009 Nutmeg Book
Award and Maryland's
2007-2008 Black-Eyed Susan Award. It was also honored by being placed
on the master list for Arizona's 2007 Grand
Canyon Reader Award.
Ms. Stewart was born in East Patchogue,
New York, to a librarian mother and a physicist father. When she was four
years old, her family moved to Tucson, Arizona, where she grew up and
attended Whitmore Elementary, Townsend Junior High, and Catalina High.
She received an honors degree in English from
Wellesley College, followed by an M.B.A. from the University of Utah. For
awhile she wore suits and pantyhose, but then she found out writing for
children was a lot more fun.
Currently Ms. Stewart is revising a new
novel, under contract with Dial Books for Young Readers. She enjoys speaking
in schools and at conferences. When she’s not writing or doing school
visits, she volunteers with
MAKE WAY FOR BOOKS, a non-profit organization which gives young children
the chance to fall in love with books and reading. She serves on the board
of directors.
Ms. Stewart makes her home in Tucson with
her physician husband. They have three daughters and far too many pets
(sadly Hissy Fit, her Madagascar hissing cockroach has passed away).
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