Melanie Crowder author page

Melanie Crowder biography

Melanie Crowder is a writer and educator who holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She writes for young readers, with work spanning middle-grade novels, young adult novels, novels in verse, poetry, and picture books. Her books include Parched, A Nearer Moon, Audacity, An Uninterrupted View of the Sky, Mazie and Jumper.

Parched was published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers on 4 June 2013. A Nearer Moon was published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers on 8 September 2015 for readers in grades 3 to 7. The Lighthouse between the Worlds, part of the Lighthouse Keepers series, was published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers on 1 October 2019 for ages 8 to 12.

Audacity is a young adult novel in verse inspired by Clara Lemlich, who emigrated from Russia to New York and fought for workers’ rights in Manhattan’s garment factories. Audacity was a 2015 National Jewish Book Award finalist and received a Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon and the Jefferson Cup.

Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them was written by Melanie Crowder and Megan Benedict, illustrated by Khoa Le, and published by Candlewick Press. The book uses poems and scientific facts to introduce fourteen winds from around the world, including the katabatic winds of Antarctica, the moani of Hawai‘i, the oroshi of Japan and Britain’s helm.

Sea Wolves: Keepers of the Rainforest was written by Megan Benedict and Melanie Crowder, illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers, and published by Astra Young Readers on 23 July 2024. The picture book introduces sea wolves along the shores of western Canada and southeastern Alaska and describes their coastal habitat, diet and ecological significance.