Biography

New York Times–bestselling author Dashka Slater has been called a “triple threat” for her success in journalism, fiction, and children’s literature. An award-winning journalist who writes for such publications as The New York Times Magazine and Mother Jones, she is also the author of numerous books of fiction and nonfiction for children and adults, including the beloved Escargot picture book series, The Feylawn Chronicles middle grade fantasy series, and two gripping nonfiction narratives, The 57 Bus and Accountable.

Her numerous accolades include the Stonewall Book Award from the American Library Association, the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize from the Columbia School of Journalism and Harvard University’s Neiman Foundation, the YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Gold Medal, the California Book Award Gold Medal, the Beatty Award from the California Library Association, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kurt Vonnegut Speculative Fiction Award, and the Wanda Gag Read Aloud Award. In 2021, her acclaimed true crime novel, The 57 Bus, was named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time.