Lamar Giles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lamar Giles
Born	(1979-11-14) November 14, 1979 (age 45) Hopewell, Virginia, U.S.
Education	B.S. in Communications, minor in English; M.F.A in English, Creative Writing
Alma mater	Old Dominion University
Genre	Young Adult Fiction
Years active	2004–present
Notable works	Fake ID, Spin, The Last Last-Day-of-Summer, Not So Pure and Simple

Lamar Giles (born November 14, 1979) is an American author who writes exciting books and short stories for young adults. He is famous for his award-winning novels. Some of his most popular books include Fake ID, Spin, Not So Pure and Simple, and The Legendary Alston Boys series. Lamar Giles also helped start a group called We Need Diverse Books. This group works to make sure books show many different kinds of people and experiences.

About Lamar Giles

Lamar Giles grew up in Hopewell, Virginia, near an army base. He wrote his very first novel when he was just 14 years old. After high school, he went to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. He studied communications and English there.

Lamar Giles decided he wanted to be a published writer after reading a book about writing in college. He sold his first short story when he was 21. For a while, he worked as a real estate agent. In 2006, he received a special award from the Virginia Commission of the Arts. He sold his first novel, Fake ID, when he was 31.

Helping Diverse Books

Lamar Giles is a very important part of the non-profit group We Need Diverse Books. He was one of the people who helped create it. He also used to be in charge of their communications. In 2017, he was on their advisory board, helping guide the group.

He was a judge for the 2018 National Book Awards, which are big awards for books. He also teaches writing at Spalding University. In 2025, he became the first writer-in-residence at William & Mary Libraries. This means he spent time there helping others with writing.

Lamar Giles lives with his wife in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Lamar Giles's Books

Lamar Giles writes thrilling stories for young readers. His first young adult novel, Fake ID, came out in 2014.

Fake ID

Fake ID is a mystery story. It's about an African-American teenager who moves to a new town. He has to use a fake identity because of his father's past. In his new town, he gets involved in solving the mysterious murder of his best friend. Lamar Giles has said that other books and non-fiction works inspired him to write Fake ID.

Endangered

His next novel, Endangered, was published in 2015. This book is about a teen who tries to help people in secret. But then, his hidden identity is revealed to everyone.

Fresh Ink

Lamar Giles also edited a special book called Fresh Ink. This book is a collection of short stories by many different authors. These stories share experiences from people of various backgrounds. Some of the authors in Fresh Ink include Nicola Yoon, Malinda Lo, Jason Reynolds, and Gene Luen Yang. It was published in 2018.

Awards for His Books

Lamar Giles's books have won several awards and honors.