Michelle Knudsen is the
New York Times best-selling author of
Library Lion,
illustrated by Kevin Hawkes;
Argus, illustrated by Andréa Wesson;
Big Mean Mike,
illustrated by Scott Magoon; and
Marilyn’s Monster, illustrated by Matt Phelan,
as well as the Trelian middle-grade fantasy trilogy and the Evil Librarian YA horror-comedy trilogy. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is terrified of spiders.
About Me
I grew up in Staten Island, New York. Our family was small—I didn't have any brothers or sisters—but I was lucky to have some great friends who were just like family to me. (They still are!) Today I live in Brooklyn, New York, with my wonderful husband, two amazing stepdaughters, and two very silly cats.
Some of my favorite things to do are reading (especially science fiction and fantasy), taking long walks in Prospect Park, playing D&D and video games, and watching the Rangers play hockey at Madison Square Garden. I also love going to Broadway shows with my two best friends. Once upon a time I used to perform in a lot of (amateur) musical theater, mostly in high school and college and then later in community theater productions of Gilbert&Sullivan operettas. These days I don't have enough free time to go to rehearsals, so most of my singing happens at karaoke or at home with my family while my husband plays guitar. But I hope to go back to being in shows someday!
I keep trying to become a knitter but it's a slow process. I'm very good at buying yarn and starting projects—not so good at finishing them!
About My Work
I'm the author of more than fifty books for children and young adults, including the New York Times best-selling picture book Library Lion (which Time magazine named as one of the 100 Best Children's Books of All Time!).
I love writing all kinds of things for readers of all ages. My books so far include board books, coloring and activity books, early readers, chapter books, middle-grade novels, and young adult novels. I also sometimes write short stories, including short speculative fiction for older readers. I rarely write totally realistic fiction; my favorite things to write about are those that can't happen in the regular, everyday world. I love writing about magic and dragons and monsters and adventure. My stories are also often about true friendship and loyalty and love. I try to write characters that you would want to be friends with in real life.
Three Things You Might Not Know About Me
1. My favorite band is My Chemical Romance.
2. When I was little I wanted to be either an animal trainer (specifically of big cats like black panthers and snow leopards) or a country singer like Dolly Parton.
3. I'm scared of spiders, but I love snakes.
