Photo credit: Michael Leali

Michelle Knudsen

State: New York

Michelle Knudsen is a New York Times bestselling author with more than fifty books for young readers. A proud alum of Cornell and the Vermont College of Fine Arts, she blends warmth, humor, and speculative elements across genres. Her picture books, such as Library Lion, have become modern classics, while her Trelian middle‑grade trilogy showcases richly imagined fantasy worlds. Knudsen also writes young adult horror/comedy/romance (Evil Librarian trilogy), which earned the Sid Fleischman Humor Award. She teaches in Lesley University’s MFA program and continues to speak about writing craft.

Genres: Fantasy, Humor, Picture Book

Audiences: Children's, Early Reader, Middle Grade, Young Adult