Lisa Graff facts for kids

Lisa Colleen Graff (also known by her pen name Isla Neal) is an American author. She writes exciting books for children and teenagers. Her books have been chosen for many state awards lists. They have also been named some of the best books of the year. Lisa Graff was born on January 10, 1981.

About Lisa Graff

Lisa Graff was born in 1981. She grew up in Big Bear, California. When she was only 8 years old, she started writing her first story. It was called "The Strangest Flower." She wrote it because she was bored one day! As a child, Lisa was very interested in math and science.

She went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for college. Lisa had always written stories. But she only thought about writing as a job during her third year of college. She was studying in Italy at the time. Her language professor helped her translate one of her stories into Italian. This made her think about writing as a career.

After college, Lisa moved to New York. She earned a special degree there. It was a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children. She got this degree from the New School University in New York.

Lisa worked for five years as an editor. She helped publish books for young readers. Then, she decided to become a full-time writer. Lisa Graff now lives in Pennsylvania.

Awards and Recognition

Lisa Graff's books have received many honors. They have been included on over 40 state award lists. Many booksellers and librarians have also listed her books. They call them some of the best books of the year.

In 2013, her book "A Tangle of Knots" was recognized. It was longlisted for the National Book Award. This means it was considered for a very important award. Amazon also chose it as one of the best children's books of 2013.

In 2015, her book "Lost in the Sun" also received praise. Amazon chose it as one of the best books of 2015.

Lisa Graff also writes for teens. She uses a different name for these books. Her pen name is Isla Neal.

She also teaches a class about children's literature. She is a professor at McDaniel College in Maryland.

Books by Lisa Graff

Children's and Middle Grade Books

• (2007) The Thing About Georgie
• (2008) The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower
• (2009) Umbrella Summer
• (2010) Sophie Simon Solves Them All
• (2012) Double Dog Dare
• (2013) A Tangle of Knots - This book was chosen as one of the best books of 2013 by Amazon. It was also longlisted for the National Book Award and other awards.
• (2014) Absolutely Almost
• (2015) Lost in the Sun - Chosen as one of the best books of 2015 by Amazon and other awards.
• (2016) A Clatter of Jars
• (2017) The Great Treehouse War
• (2024) Rewind

Picture Books

• (2016) It Is Not Time for Sleeping
• (2021) Mr. Walker Steps Out

Short Stories

• (2017) Funny Girl - This is a collection of stories. Many female children's writers contributed to it. Lisa Graff wrote one of the stories.

Books as Isla Neal

Lisa Graff, writing as Isla Neal, co-wrote the Ever Expending Universe series with Martin Leicht:

• (2012) Mothership
• (2013) A Stranger Thing
• (2015) The World Forgot