Author Resources

Inspire.in.gov is your best bet for getting information about authors - especially as our school's network tends to block blogs, which many author's websites are.

All of these resources are found from inside Inspire. If you are here at school, you won't need a password. If you use it at home, though, you have to prove that you are an Indiana resident in order to use it. Here are my top picks (most found on inspire.in.gov > Databases by Subject > Biographies).

Teachingbooks.net provides videos and other resources directly from the authors. Something simple and neat is hearing the authors pronounce their own name (example: How do you pronounce Guys Read's author, Jon Scieszka?).

They also provide meet-the-author movies, book readings, book guides, book trailers, and more. Unfortunately, it can take a little bit to get logged in. Get the needed info here.

Contemporary Authors Online. Quoted from the site: "Find biographical information on more than 149,000 modern novelists, poets, playwrights, nonfiction writers,essay writers, journalists and scriptwriters. Sketches typically include personal information, contact information, career history, writings, biographical and critical sources, authors' comments, and informative essays about their lives and work." If working at home, you'll need a password. See Mrs. Sheridan. Hint: this is the singular version of the BrainPop password.

Books and Authors. See Mrs. Sheridan or your teachers for the password. Hint: the singular version of the BrainPop password. This is more focused on helping you find the right book, but it does have a section on author information. I think it might be the same info that you would find in Contemporary Authors Online, though.

Biography in Context is a great tool for finding information about just about anyone. Notice along the top that you can sign in with Google - meaning that you can easily save or email any of the articles you find right to your Google Drive or school email.

Destiny also has a web search - kind of like an educator's Google. I'd suggest using this before going to Google, as a majority of these sites will not be blocked at school, plus, they are all approved by educators. Go to Destiny, and log in, in the upper right corner (this will allow you to save and cite the sites if you want, plus gives you access to password protected sites). The username and password is the same that you use to log in to the computers. Once logged in, on the left side of the page, choose Destiny Discover. Once you are in there, type in your author's name. It will bring up the books that we have by or about that author, but it will also bring up web resources as well. If you choose WebPath Express, that is the "educator's Google" that I mentioned earlier. Otherwise, it also searches other sites and databases, as well, all in one place.

Regular websites that might be helpful, depending on the publisher:

• KidsReads.com: Has many authors' bios here.
• Penguin Group: Includes authors who write for the publisher for Penguin Group, along with the smaller Penguin companies, like RazorBill)
• RandomHouse Teens: Includes authors who write for the publisher RandomHouse
• Scholastic Authors Bios: Includes authors who write for the publisher Scholastic
• Simon and Schuster: Includes authors who write for the publisher Simon and Schuster, which includes its smaller companies, like Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Candlewick Press: Includes authors who write for Candlewick Press
• Hachette Book Group: Includes authors who write for Hachette Book Group, including its smaller company, Little, Brown.