Erin Entrada Kelly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Erin Entrada Kelly
Kelly at the 2024 National Book Awards finalist reading
Born	Hays, Kansas, U.S.
Education	McNeese State University (BA) Rosemont College (MFA)
Occupation	Writer
Known for	Newbery Medal (2018) Newbery Honor (2021)

Erin Entrada Kelly is an American author who writes books for children. She is famous for winning the Newbery Medal twice. This award is one of the most important honors for children's books.

She first won the Newbery Medal in 2018 for her book Hello, Universe. She won it again in 2025 for her novel The First State of Being. Kelly also received a Newbery Honor in 2021 for her book We Dream of Space. Her second novel, The Land of Forgotten Girls, won an award from the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association.

Many of her books have become bestsellers and have been translated into different languages around the world.

About Erin Entrada Kelly

Where Erin Grew Up

Erin Entrada Kelly was born in the United States. She grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Today, she lives in Delaware, close to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother moved to the U.S. from the Philippines.

Erin's Education and Teaching

Kelly studied at McNeese State University and earned a bachelor's degree. She later received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Rosemont College. She now teaches writing classes for children's literature at Rosemont College. She also teaches at Hamline University in a special program for writers.

Erin's Writing Journey

Starting as a Journalist

Erin Kelly began her career as a journalist. She wrote for a newspaper called the American Press. For several years, she also worked as an editor for Thrive Magazine. After that, she moved to the Northeast part of the U.S.

First Books and Awards

Her first book, Blackbird Fly, was published in 2015. It won an honor award from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. It also received an honor award from the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association. In 2016, her second book, The Land of Forgotten Girls, won the Children's Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature.

Kelly has also written many short stories for adults. Before becoming a full-time author, she worked helping authors promote their books.

Winning the Newbery Medal

Kelly's third novel, Hello, Universe, was published in 2017. This story is about a middle-school boy who goes missing. His friends then work together to find and rescue him. This book won the prestigious 2018 Newbery Medal.

Her book The First State of Being, published in 2024, was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. This book later won the Newbery Medal in 2025.

Erin Kelly also writes and illustrates a popular series of books called Maybe, Maybe Marisol Rainey. She has said that the famous children's author Judy Blume has been a big inspiration for her writing.

Awards and Special Mentions

Erin Entrada Kelly has received many awards and honors for her books:

• APALA Honor Award for Blackbird Fly
• Cybils Honor Award for Blackbird Fly
• Golden Kite Honor Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators for Blackbird Fly
• Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize finalist for The Land of Forgotten Girls
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award finalist for The Land of Forgotten Girls
• Deutscher Jugendliter Preis (German Youth Literature Prize) for Hello, Universe
• Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe
• Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List for Hello, Universe
• South Carolina Book Award Nominee for You Go First
• Bluestem Book Award Nominee for You Go First
• Mythopoeic Award Finalist for Best Fantasy Novel for Children for Lalani of the Distant Sea
• New York Public Library Best Books of the Year for Hello, Universe, Lalani of the Distant Sea, and We Dream of Space
• Chicago Public Library Best Books of the Year for Hello, Universe and We Dream of Space
• Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space
• National Book Award for Young People's Literature finalist for The First State of Being
• Newbery Medal for The First State of Being

Erin Entrada Kelly's Books

Here are some of the books Erin Entrada Kelly has written:

• Blackbird Fly (2015) ISBN: 9780062238610
• The Land of Forgotten Girls (2016) ISBN: 9780062238641
• Hello, Universe (2017) ISBN: 9780062414151
• You Go First (2018) ISBN: 9780062414182
• Lalani of the Distant Sea (2019) ISBN: 9780062747273
• We Dream of Space (2020) ISBN: 9780062747303
• Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey (2021) ISBN: 9780062970428
• Those Kids from Fawn Creek (2022) ISBN: 9780062970350
• Surely Surely Marisol Rainey (2022) ISBN: 9780062970459
• The First State of Being (2024) ISBN: 9781420516661
• At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Survied, Spied, and Fought for Freedom (2025) ISBN: 9780063218901