Katherine Applegate is the New York Times-bestselling author of Wishtree, Crenshaw, Willodeen, and Home of the Brave, all from F&F, as well as The One and Only Ivan, winner of the Newbery Medal, and its sequel The One and Only Bob. She lives in Southern California with her family.

Gennifer Choldenko's best known Tales from Alcatraz series has been called "A cornerstone series in contemporary children's literature." Al Capone Does My Shirts-the first book in the series-was a Newbery Honor Book and the recipient of twenty other awards. All four books in the series were Junior Library Guild selections and garnered many starred reviews. Gennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her loyal husband and naughty dog.

Wallace West is a world explorer spending most of his time on the US East Coast (the rest wherever strikes his fancy). He once foolishly pet a wild alligator and considers a tinned-fish picnic in Norway the best meal he's ever had. By day he writes and illustrates, by night he wonders if he should get a pet snake.