Adam Gidwitz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Born	(1982-02-14) February 14, 1982 (age 42) San Francisco, CA
Occupation	Author
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Columbia University Bank Street College of Education
Period	2011–present
Genre	Children's literature
Notable works	The Inquisitor's Tale
Spouse	Lauren Mancia ​ (m. 2011)​
Signature

Adam Gidwitz (born February 14, 1982) is an American author of children's books, best known for A Tale Dark and Grimm (2010), In a Glass Grimmly (2012), and The Grimm Conclusion (2013). He received a 2017 Newbery Honor for The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog (2016). In 2021, his book A Tale Dark and Grimm was adapted into an animated miniseries on Netflix.

Biography

He was born in San Francisco in 1982 but grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. His grandfather, Willard Gidwitz, was a president at Helene Curtis. Through his father's family, he is also related to Illinois GOP gubernatorial candidate and Trump appointee Ronald Gidwitz.

He attended Columbia University, where he majored in English literature and spent his junior year abroad in the university's Oxford/Cambridge Scholars program.

After university, Gidwitz became a teacher at Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn. He credits a stint as a substitute librarian as the inspiration for writing The Grimm Trilogy.

In 2011, Gidwitz married Lauren Mancia, whom he met in university. They now live in Brooklyn, New York and Gidwitz writes full-time.

Awards and honors

A Tale Dark and Grimm was named named a New York Times Editor's Choice. Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal,' and Shelf Awareness editor Jennifer M. Brown named it one of the best children's books of 2010. An animated series based on the book was one of the top ten most watched shows for kids on Netflix in October 2021.

The Inquisitor's Tale is a New York Times Bestselling book. Both and book and audiobook are Junior Library Guild selections. Kirkus Reviews,' The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal,' and The Washington Post named it one of the best children's books of 2016. Booklist included it on their 2016 "Top 10 Religion and Spirituality Books for Youth" and 2017 "Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth" lists. They also included the audiobook edition on their 2017 "Top 10 Middle-Grade Fiction on Audio" and "Top 10 Youth Historical Fiction on Audio" lists. In 2019, Booklist included it on their list of the "50 Best Middle-Grade Novels of the 21st Century."

The first two books of The Unicorn Rescue Society were included on Booklist's 2018 "Audio Stars for Youth" and "Top 10 SF/Fantasy & Horror Audiobooks for Youth" lists. The Creature of the Pines is a Junior Library Guild book.