"Readers across genres will be enamored by this blend of history, mystery, and superpowered action."
— Booklist
"An absolutely original story, filled with so much excitement that the pages practically turn themselves.”
—Frances O’Roark Dowell,
Edgar Award winning author of Dovey Coe
“A one-two punch of heroism
and fun!”
—Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor winner and
New York Times bestselling author of Savvy

“A stunning, fast-paced yarn that champions smarts,
problem-solving, women, and the importance of family.
Great role models for girls."
— Common Sense Media 5-star review for The Detective’s Assistant,
winner of the 2016 Golden Kite Award for Best Middle-Grade
Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I always saw my parents reading books and newspapers. So I quickly learned that words were powerful and storytelling was important.
When I was in the fourth grade (rocking the freckles in the photo at left!) I knew I wanted to be a writer. My teacher, Mrs. Tucker, had us craft mysteries in the spirit of Encyclopedia Brown, and the bravest of us read them out loud to the class each Friday. I was hooked!
I loved language. I loved interesting people. And I was very nosy. So I worked on school newspapers in middle school, high school, and college, and then I went on to work at daily newspapers in different cities around the country — including The Dallas Morning News and The San Francisco Chronicle. California living was the greatest, and some of my favorite places on Earth are there!
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Now I live in Chicago with my own family — my husband, three kids, and nervous Australian shepherd. I still love language and interesting people, and I'm still nosy. So I spend a lot of time researching and writing fiction and nonfiction — including mysteries! — for readers like you.
'Author Of'
Kate Hannigan talks to other Kidlit authors
Author Of is a conversation around children's literature featuring interviews with writers for young readers. Learn about the inspiration behind their books and the "spark" that made them write their stories.