Joseph Bruchac

Joseph Bruchac is the author of numerous books for children. His many honors and awards include the American Book Award for BREAKING SILENCE; the 1986 Cherokee Nation Prose Award; and Yaddo Residency Fellowships in 1984 and 1985. Recently, his book THE HEART OF A CHIEF was named a 1999 Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book. Mr. Bruchac lives with his wife in Greenfield Center, New York. THE JOURNAL OF JESSE SMOKE: A Cherokee Boy, The Trail of Tears, 1838 is his first book for the My Name is America series.

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Barry Denenberg

In addition to THE JOURNAL OF WILLIAM THOMAS EMERSON: A Revolutionary War Patriot and THE JOURNAL OF BEN UCHIDA: Citizen 13559, Barry Denenberg has written two Dear America books, WHEN WILL THIS CRUEL WAR BE OVER?: The Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson and SO FAR FROM HOME: The Diary of Mary Driscoll, An Irish Mill Girl. He is also the author of the popular non-fiction titles AN AMERICAN HERO: The True Story of Charles A. Lindbergh and VOICES FROM VIETNAM, both ALA Best Books for Young Adults and New York Public Library Books for the Teenage. Denenberg lives in Westchester County, New York, with his family.

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William Durbin

William Durbin is the author of THE BROKEN BLADE, which won the Great Lakes Booksellers Award and was named to The New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age List. THE JOURNAL OF OTTO PELTONEN follows a previous book in the My Name Is America series -- THE JOURNAL OF SEAN SULLIVAN: A Transcontinental Railroad Worker. Durbin has taught on every level form fourth grade to college. He currently teaches college composition and high-school English and lives in Hibbling, Minnesota.

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Kathryn Lasky

In Kathryn Lasky's first book, THE JOURNAL OF AUGUSTUS PELLETIER: The Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804, for the My Name is America series, the acclaimed author tells the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition throught the eyes of fictional fourteen-year-old Augustus Pelletier. Lasky is the author of more than thirty books for children and adults and has received The Washington Post Children's Guild Award for her contributions to children's non-fiction. She has written two books for the esteemed Dear America series — A JOURNEY TO THE NEW WORLD and DREAMS IN THE GOLDEN COUNTRY and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole Series — THE CAPTURE and THE JOURNEY. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her family.

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Jim Murphy

Jim Murphy is the critically-acclaimed author of THE GREAT FIRE, winner of the Newbery Honor Award, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Award, and an NCTE Orbis Pictus Award. Among his many other award-winning books are A YOUNG PATRIOT, ACROSS AMERICA ON AN EMIGRANT TRAIN, THE BOY'S WAR and THE LONG ROAD TO GETTYSBURG. In addition to writing THE JOURNAL OF JAMES EDMOND PEASE: A Civil War Union Soldier, he also wrote the Dear America book, WEST TO A LAND OF PLENTY: The Diary of Teresa Angelino Viscardi. Murphy lives in New Jersey with his family.

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Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers is an award-winning writer of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for young people. His many books include SLAM!, and ALA Best Book for Young Adults; FALLEN ANGELS, winner of the Coretta Scott King Award; SOMEWHERE IN THE DARKNESS, a Newbery Honor Book and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; and HARLEM, with pictures by Christopher Myers, a Caldecott Honor Book, and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Myers has written three My Name Is America books: THE JOURNAL OF BIDDY OWENS: The Negro Leagues, THE JOURNAL OF JOSHUA LOPER: A Black Cowboy and THE JOURNAL OF SCOTT PENDLETON COLLINS: A World War II Soldier.

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Ann Rinaldi

Ann Rinaldi says about writing this book, "When I first started to do research, I knew what the average American knows about the Pilgrims...Once I started the research those facts became dots that needed lines to connect them and complete the picture." In addition to this book, she has written for the Dear America series as well. She is the popular author of many acclaimed historical novels for young adults, seven of which have been named ALA Best Books for Young Adults. She lives with her husband in Somerville, New Jersey.

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Ellen Emerson White

Ellen Emerson White, author of both WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE? The Diary of Molly MacKenzie Flaherty (Dear America) and THE JOURNAL OF PATRICK SEAMUS FLAHERTY (My Name is America), has written several novels for young adults, including VOYAGE ON THE GREAT TITANIC (Dear America), THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER, LIFE WITHOUT FRIENDS, and LONG LIVE THE QUEEN, which was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. She is also the author of the Echo Company series. Ms. White lives in New York City.

NOTE: The above bios are courtesy of Scholastic.com.

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