Katherine Applegate

As a young child, Katherine Applegate didn’t like to read or write—it wasn’t until she discovered E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web that she realized reading wasn’t boring. From that point on, she wrote prolifically into adulthood. She began her professional writing career as a ghostwriter for the Sweet Valley Twins series. Applegate often collaborates with her husband, author Michael Grant, on book series for children, such as the Animorphs and Everworld series. The couple has two daughters. Though Animorphs catapulted Applegate to fame, The One and Only Ivan is her most critically acclaimed novel. It won the Newbery Medal in 2013. In addition to writing middle-grade novels, Applegate has also written a number of picture books for younger readers. Applegate lives with her family—including a variety of pets—in Irvine, California.