PRESS KIT

AUTHOR BIO

Kathryn Ormsbee is the author of books for children and young adults, including Tash Hearts Tolstoy and The House in Poplar Wood. Her novels have been critically acclaimed, translated into eight languages, selected for the Indie Next List and Junior Library Guild, and made “best of” lists at NPR, Amazon, BuzzFeed, and the Chicago and New York Public Libraries. She lives in Austin with her wife.

CONTACT & SOCIAL

Website: kathrynormsbee.com
Email: authormsbee@gmail.com
Instagram: @kathsby

LITERARY AGENT

For rights or media inquiries, contact

Beth Phelan
Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency
beth@galltzacker.com

HEADSHOT

Author portrait of Kathryn Ormsbee — **OFFICIAL AUTHOR HEADSHOT**
Credit: Kathryn Ormsbee

BOOK COVERS

(Click on a cover for full size)

Illustrated cover of The Water and the Wild — Illustration: Erwin Madrid | **Design:** Amelia Mack

Illustrated cover of The House in Poplar Wood — **Illustration**: The Brothers Hilt | **Design:** Amelia Mack

Illustrated cover of Tash Hearts Tolstoy — **Design:** Lucy Ruth Cummins

Illustrated cover of Candidly Cline — **Illustration:** Peijin Yang | **Design:** Chris Kwon

**Illustration:** Molly Brooks | **Design:** April Ward

Illustrated cover of The Doorway and the Deep — **Illustration:** Erwin Madrid | **Design:** Amelia Mack

Illustrated cover of Midnight on Strange Street — **Illustration:** Violet Tobacco | **Design:** Tyler Nevins

Illustrated cover of The Great Unknowable End — **Illustration:** Carolina Rodriguez Fuenmayor | **Design:** Chloe Foglia

Illustrated cover of Growing Pangs — **Illustration:** Molly Brooks | **Design:** April Ward

Illustrated cover of The Current and the Cure — **Illustration:** Erwin Madrid | **Design:** Kathryn Ormsbee

Illustrated cover of Lucky Few — **Illustration:** Carlo Giambarresi | **Design:** Laurent Linn

Illustrated cover of The Sullivan Sisters — **Illustration:** Pedro Tapa | **Design:** Chloe Foglia

Vivian—a white, brunette 13-year-old girl—holds a rain-soaked umbrella as she stands next to her rescue pug, Trixie. The tagline reads "What's worse than the first day of school? Doing it again." — **Illustration:** Paula Zorite | **Design:** Corina Lupp

AWARDS, HONORS, & PRAISE

for Vivian Lantz’s second chances

♦ A 2024 Spirit of Texas Reading List Book

for GROWING PANGS

♦ An NPR Best Book of 2022

♦ A Target Book Club Pick of 2022

♦ A Parents Best Book of 2022

♦ A 2022 Oregon Spirit Book Award Winner

♦ A 2023 NCTE Charlotte Huck Recommended Title for Outstanding Fiction for Children

★ "This respectfully told semiautobiography never trivializes obsessive compulsive disorder, nor does it make mental illness into a bogeyman." - Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

for CANDIDLY CLINE

♦ A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

♦ An Amazon Best Book of the Month - November 2021

♦ An Oregon Spirit Book Award - Honor Book 2021

♦ A Rise 2023 Booklist Selection

♦ A 2023 ALA Rainbow Book List Book

★ "Confident, candid, and immensely endearing. Destined for the spotlight." - Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Warm and hopeful." - Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Lyrical and full of country twang. A sweet tale of coming into one’s own and an affirming queer love story, too." - School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

for The SULLIVAN SISTERS

♦ A 2021 Oregon Book Award Winner - Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature

for The Great Unknowable End

♦ Reading the West Book Award – Young Adult Fiction, Runner-Up

for The House in Poplar Wood

♦ A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

♦ An Amazon Best Book of 2018

♦ A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018

♦ A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018

“A terrific spooky mystery.” - The Wall Street Journal

“Atmospheric and gripping. Ormsbee does a masterly job . . . while never losing the page-whipping pace of her well-crafted plot.” - The New York Times

★ "Magical elements, evocative, intelligent writing, and ever-ratcheting suspense." - Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

★ “With expert pacing and detailed worldbuilding, the story unfurls into a smart, thrilling mystery, equal parts dark and gentle, that explores questions about freedom, power, and choosing one’s master.” - Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Quirky, spooky, and thoroughly enjoyable, this will appeal fans of Trenton Lee Stewart and Colin Meloy, as well as readers generally looking for an absorbing fantastical mystery." - School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

for Tash Hearts Tolstoy

♦ A BuzzFeed Best YA Book of 2017

♦ A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017

♦ A 2018 ALA Rainbow Book List Book

★ "Whip-smart, funny, flawed, and compassionate, these are characters readers will want to know and cheer for." - Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

★ "It’s beyond refreshing to see an asexual character, and the complexities of Tash’s relationships . . . make this a home run. The flip, irreverent tone, literary references, and peek into the creation of a web series are just icing on the cake." - Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

★ “Funny, well written, and compulsively readable." - School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

for Lucky Few

♦ A 2017 Spirit of Texas Reading List Book

★ "The smart, efficient language features dialogue that pops. A sweet story told with intelligence, humor, and just the right amount of kissing." - Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Winsome characters, crackling dialogue, and an effortlessly enjoyable writing style." - Booklist, STARRED REVIEW