About the Author

As a child you could find Emmy Kastner with some crayons or a pencil, a typewriter, or a paintbrush. When anyone would ask what she'd like to be when she grew up, Emmy would let them know, "A writer ... or everything. And I'm not waiting until I grow up." An early encounter with Jon Scieszka helped guide her down the path of a writer. "He was touring with his new book series, The Time Warp Trio," she explains. "My mom let me stay home from school to attend the author visit at the elementary school she worked at. I remember him asking me about my interests. I sheepishly confessed I was thinking about being a writer, telling him about the story I was working on. It had to do with a bear that came alive at night. (Very original, yes.) He put down his pen, looked me in the eyes, and confidently said, "Well, then, that's what you're going to do. You're a writer." I held onto that affirmation for a long time. I still do.Emmy taught high school English and science for a handful of years in the Midwest, and then in San Francisco. After moving back to Michigan, she co-founded literacy nonprofit Read and Write Kalamazoo in 2012. She lives with her husband in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with their three young kids who keep them on their toes. Emmy's art and writing studio lives above the family's coffee shop, which makes caffeinating her days quite efficient.