Biography

Three-time Newbery Honor winning and New York Times and USA Today bestselling Jennifer L. Holm is a beloved and well-known name in the world of children’s literature with nearly ten million books in print.

Widely embraced by educators, librarians, and children across the country, Holm’s novels have struck a chord with all who read her heartwarming and poignant stories, many of which are based on her own life and family. A frequent guest at schools, conferences, bookstores, and libraries across the country, Holm enjoys meeting her readers, and speaking about her novels, writing, and the inspiration behind her award-winning books. She has also been the recipient of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction for her novel Full of Beans.

In addition to her novels, Jenni Holm and her brother, Matthew Holm, are the creators of the Eisner Award winning Babymouse series, the Squish series (now a 52-episode animated series on YouTube!) and the bestselling Sunny series from Scholastic Graphix.

Born in California, Holm spent much of her life in Pennsylvania, where she grew up following her four brothers and enjoying the athletic and boy friendly activities they were into. After college, Holm moved to New York, where she became a television producer before deciding to become a full-time writer. Her first novel, Our Only May Amelia, was the recipient of a Newbery Honor Award, and Holm was catapulted onto the children’s literature scene. She would go on to win another two Newbery Honors for her novels Penny from Heaven and Turtle in Paradise. Her recent novel, OUTSIDE is currently an Amazon Best Book of 2025, a Kirkus Best Book of 2025, and received a starred review in Publishers Weekly.

Holm currently resides back in California, where she lives with her husband and three bossy cats.

Book Jennifer

If you’re interested in having Jennifer visit your school or attend your event, or if you have a general question about Jennifer, please fill out the following form: