Kersten Hamilton

Kersten Hamilton, the critically acclaimed author of books for toddlers, teens, and all people in between, was born in a trailer in the mountains of southern New Mexico. By their sixth birthday, they knew they wanted to be a writer. This would prove difficult, as a wayward fairy (apparently not invited to Kersten’s christening) gifted the child with dyslexia and dysgraphia, topped with a dollop of autism spectrum disorder. Kersten’s unique experience of the world and the wonderful people in it has led them to write fast-paced stories that are loved by readers around the globe. RED TRUCK (illustrated by Valeria Petrone), which was called “well-crafted” and “appealing” in a starred review from Booklist, has sold almost a quarter of a million copies, giving rise to a series of nitty-gritty machine books for itty-bitty readers that now includes YELLOW COPTER, BLUE BOAT, GREEN TRACTOR, ORANGE EXCAVATOR, and MERRY CHRISTMAS, RED TRUCK! Their picture book about the evolution of dogs from wild wolves to humans’ best friend, FIRST FRIEND (illustrated by Jaime Kim), was called “lyrical” and “delightful” by Kirkus and received a starred review from SLJ, and their YA novel IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT (second in the Goblin Wars trilogy) led Kirkus to call her “a wizard at creating tension.”

Kersten is currently writing a middle-grade novel in the fascinating world of Minecraft.