Biography

Eliot Schrefer is a New York Times-bestselling author, has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, received the Stonewall Honor for best LGBTQIA+ teen book, and received the Printz Honor for best young adult book from the ALA. In naming him an Editor’s Choice, The New York Times has called his work “dazzling… big-hearted.” His science writing has appeared in Discover, Sierra, USAToday, Nautilus, and The Washington Post Magazine. He has an M.A. in Animal Studies from NYU, is on the faculty of the Fairleigh Dickinson and Hamline MFAs for creative writing, and lives with his husband in New York City.

As a science writer as well as a novelist, Eliot has a particular affinity for the natural world. His research travels have taken him as far away as the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Amazon Rainforest, and his presentations frequently include footage of his research and tales of meeting plenty of cute (and creepy!) animals.

He grew up throughout the United States, but went to high school in Clearwater, Florida before attending Harvard, where he studied comparative literature. After college, he lived in Rome for a year before moving to New York City and beginning his writing career. When he’s not off visiting animal friends, he lives with his husband and a bunch of stuffed animals near the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan.