Daniel.José Older author page

Daniel.José Older biography

Daniel José Older writes for young adult, middle-grade and adult readers. His work includes the young adult series The Shadowshaper Cypher, the Bone Street Rumba urban fantasy series and the middle-grade historical fantasy series Dactyl Hill Squad. Before his writing career, he worked for about ten years as an NYC paramedic.

Shadowshaper is the first book in The Shadowshaper Cypher and centres on Sierra Santiago, a young artist who discovers shadowshaping, a magic that brings ancestral spirits into paintings, music and stories. The book was published by Scholastic/Levine and was Older’s first young adult novel.

Dactyl Hill Squad is a middle-grade historical fantasy series set during the American Civil War. The first book follows Magdalys Roca and other children from the Colored Orphan Asylum in 1863 New York, combining Civil War history with dinosaurs and adventure. Scholastic materials give the series a readership of ages 8 to 12 and grades 3 to 7.

Older has also written within the Star Wars universe. His Star Wars books include Last Shot, Star Wars: The High Republic: Escape from Valo, Star Wars: The High Republic: Tales of Light and Life and Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures Volume 1 (Phase II). Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures Volume 1 (Phase II), written by Older and illustrated by Toni Bruno and Comicraft, was published by Dark Horse Books on 26 September 2023.