Elizabeth Cody Kimmel facts for kids

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel (born October 23, 1964) is an American writer who creates books for kids. She has written over 40 books. These include picture books for younger children, and novels for middle schoolers and young adults. Her books, both made-up stories (fiction) and true stories (non-fiction), often explore topics she loves. These include history, Tibetan Buddhism, the supernatural, and exciting trips to the North and South Poles. Sometimes she uses other names for her books, like E.C. Kimmel.

Early Life and School

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel was born in New York City. She spent her childhood in Westchester County, New York and also lived in Brussels, Belgium. She went to Emma Willard School and later graduated from Kenyon College in Ohio.

Becoming a Writer

Elizabeth Cody Kimmel's first book was In the Stone Circle. It was a mystery story set in Wales and won the Minnesota Youth Reading Award.

In 1999, she wrote a true story called Ice Story: Shackleton's Lost Expedition. This book was about a famous and difficult trip to the South Pole in 1914. It was recognized as a Golden Kite Honor Book.

She also wrote a series of historical fiction books about the childhood of Buffalo Bill Cody. She is related to him! In 2003, one of these books, In the Eye of the Storm: The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill, won the Western Writers of America Spur Award.

In 2005, she started the popular "Lily B." series, which includes three books for middle school readers.

Her 2006 non-fiction book, Ladies First: 40 Daring Women Who Were Second to None, was published by National Geographic Books. It was listed as a Notable Trade Book in Social Studies.

In 2007, her picture book The Top Job was praised by the American Library Association. It was even turned into a musical in New York City.

In 2008, Kimmel began her "Suddenly Supernatural" series. These books have been translated into five languages. The first book, School Spirit, was a popular choice for Scholastic Book Clubs.

Her 2009 biography, Boy on the Lion Throne: The Childhood of the 14th Dalai Lama, was listed as a top book by Bank Street College. The Dalai Lama himself wrote a special introduction for the book.

In 2012, she started the "Forever Four" series. She also wrote Legend of the Ghost Dog, which was a main selection for Scholastic Book Clubs. Elizabeth Cody Kimmel has also worked with Laika Studios to write books based on their movies, like The Boxtrolls in 2014.

Today, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel lives in upstate New York and continues to write and edit books. She also advises for Walker Books and is on the Board of Directors for Tibet Aid. She has worked as an editor for Oxford University Press and Benchmark Education.

Books by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

• In the Stone Circle (1998)
• Ice Story: Shackleton’s Lost Expedition (1999)
• Balto and the Great Race (1999)
• Visiting Miss Caples (2000)
• My Wagon Will Take Me Anywhere (2002)
• To the Frontier: The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill (2002)
• One Sky Above Us: The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill (2002)
• In the Eye of the Storm: The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill (2003)
• West on the Wagon Train: The Adventures of Young Buffalo Bill (2003)
• As Far as the Eye Can Reach: Lewis and Clark’s Westward Quest (2003)
• What Do You Dream? (2003)
• Lily B. on the Brink of Cool (2003)
• Before Columbus: The Leif Eriksson Expedition (2004)
• The Look-It-Up Book of Explorers (2004)
• My Penguin Osbert (2004)
• Lily B. on the Brink of Love (2005)
• Ladies First: 40 Daring American Women Who Were Second to None (2006)
• Lily B. on the Brink of Paris (2006)
• Dinosaur Bone War: Cope and Marsh’s Fossil Feud (2006)
• The Top Job (2007)
• Mary Ingalls On Her Own (2008)
• Spin the Bottle (2008)
• Glamsters (2008)
• Suddenly Supernatural Book 1: School Spirit (2008)
• My Penguin Osbert in Love (2009)
• Suddenly Supernatural Book 2: Scaredy Kat (2009)
• Suddenly Supernatural Book 3: Unhappy Medium (2009)
• Boy on the Lion Throne: The Childhood of the 14th Dalai Lama (2009)
• Suddenly Supernatural Book 4: Crossing Over (2010)
• The Reinvention of Moxie Roosevelt (2010)
• Forever Four (Forever Four #1) (2012)
• Leading Ladies (Forever Four #2) (2012)
• Stories From New York (Forever Four #3) (2012)
• Staying in Tune (Forever Four #4) (2012)
• ParaNorman: A Novel (2012)
• Legend of the Ghost Dog (2012)
• The Secret of the Mountain Dog (2014)
• A Taste of Freedom: Gandhi and the Great Salt March (2014)
• The BoxTrolls (2014)
• The Jazzman's Trumpet (2015)