BioFrom Shortest to Longest
Shortest: Alexis O’Neill, the author of The Recess Queen and other books, loves kids, cats, chocolate, country music, her husband, libraries, crafts, and ukuleles. She is a popular presenter, school visit expert, and school library advocate. Short: Author Alexis O’Neill is best known for her lively, award-winning “bully” book, The Recess Queen, a children’s choice nominee in 12 states, winning choice in two, and a conversation-starter for kids across the country at the opening of each school year. Her other books include The Kite That Bridged Two Nations, Loud Emily, Estela’s Swap The Worst Best Friend, and the biographies Jacob Riis’s Camera: Bringing Light to Tenement Children and The Efficient, Inventive (Often Annoying) Melvil Dewey. She has also written for numerous children’s magazines. Born in Boston and raised by cats, Alexis now lives in Southern California with her airplane-building husband and large extended family. Her one true wish is to be locked inside a bookstore all night with a flashlight, a cat or two, and lots of chocolate. Medium-long: Alexis O’Neill’s award-winning picture books include The Recess Queen (Scholastic), The Worst Best Friend (Scholastic), Loud Emily (Simon & Schuster), Estela's Swap (Lee & Low), The Kite That Bridged Two Nations: Homan Walsh and the First Niagara Suspension Bridge (Calkins Creek/BMK), Jacob Riis’s Camera: Bringing Light to Tenement Children (Calkins Creek/BMK), and The Efficient, Inventive (Often Annoying) Melvil Dewey (Calkins Creek/BMK). She has also written fiction and nonfiction for children's magazines including Cricket, Spider, Cobblestone, Calliope, Faces, and Odyssey. Alexis taught elementary school in Oneida, New York, was awarded a Ph.D. in Teacher Education from Syracuse University, and served as an education consultant for museums in New York and California. She is an instructor for the UCLA Extension Writers' Program, a former Regional Advisor for SCBWI in California, and a columnist for the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) Bulletin. The California Reading Association honored her with the Dr. Marcus Foster Memorial Award "for making significant and outstanding contributions to reading throughout California." Alexis lives in Southern California. Long: Alexis O'Neill is the author of The Recess Queen (Scholastic), a bully book that earned Children’s Choice nominations in ten states and a winner in two; The Worst Best Friend (Scholastic); Estela's Swap (Lee & Low Books), a book about generosity and a unique California experience which was honored with a diversity award by the Vermont Center for the Book and was chosen in 2005 and 2006 for the California Readers California Collection; Loud Emily (Simon & Schuster), a tall tale named to Yankee Magazine’s list of Top 100 Classic New England Children’s Books; The Kite That Bridged Two Nations: Homan Walsh and the First Niagara Suspension Bridge (Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills Press), a work of historical fiction called “memorable and dramatic” by Kirkus Reviews; and two picture book biographies, Jacob Riis’s Camera: Bringing Light to Tenement Children (Calkins Creek/BMK), and The Efficient, Inventive (Often Annoying) Melvil Dewey (Calkins Creek/BMK). Alexis has also written fiction and nonfiction for Cricket, Spider, Cobblestone, Calliope, Faces, Odyssey, and Writer’s Digest. A former elementary school teacher with a Ph.D. in Teacher Education from Syracuse University, Alexis teaches writing for the UCLA Extension Writers' Program and served as a Regional Advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI) in the Central-Coastal region of California. Alexis has also worked as a museum educator and consultant for the Erie Canal Museum, Onondaga Historical Association, the Everson Museum of Art, the Museum of Ventura County and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Alexis visits schools across the country, conducting interactive assemblies and workshops designed to inspire students to read, research, write and revise - and to have fun playing with words. She also uses her experiences as a teacher and presenter to advise other children’s authors on designing high quality school visit programs and though SchoolVisitExperts.com. As a literacy advocate, Alexis established, and for several years chaired, the annual Children’s Book Week Celebration in Simi Valley for the Simi Valley Friends of the Library, providing author visit programs for over 12,000 students each year. She currently serves on the board of the Ventura County Reading Association. The California Reading Association has honored Alexis with the prestigious Dr. Marcus Foster Memorial Reading Award for her outstanding contributions to reading advancement in California and for her long record of achievements and constant dedication to the advancement of literacy for all children throughout the state. |
Photo by Ventura County Star
Press Information
Audiofrom Just One More Book
AUDIO INTERVIEW: With Alexis O’Neill and Laura Huliska-Beith AUDIO REVIEW: Have Self-Worth, Will Travel: The Recess Queen AUDIO REVIEW: Of Flash and Forgiveness: The Worst Best Friend AUDIO REVIEW: Soup du Jour: Unwavering Self-Worth Inside and Outside the Box 
My Ph.D. in Teacher Education, my years as a classroom teacher, and my experiences as a school visit presenter have come in handy as I advise authors and illustrators on how to create meaningful and memorable school visits through my blog, SchoolVisitExperts.com. I also write a column for the SCBWI Bulletin called, "The Truth About School Visits."
|
Photo by Sonya Sones
Images
Book Trailers |
