Kerry Madden

Bio Kerry Madden-Lunsford’s new picture book, Ernestine’s Milky Way, will be published by Schwartz & Wade on March 5, 2019. Kerry is the author of the Maggie Valley Trilogy for children, which includes Gentle’s Holler, Louisiana’s Song and Jessie’s Mountain, published by Viking. She is the author of GENTLE'S HOLLER, the first installment in what became the award-winning Maggie Valley Trilogy set in the Smoky Mountains of Appalachia. It earned starred reviews in both Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly, was included in the New York and the Chicago Public Libraries' best books for 2005, and was the featured children’s book of North Carolina at the National Book Festival in 2008. “It is the genuine article,” wrote Rosemary Wells of GENTLE'S HOLLER. “Its heroine is as bone-real and endearing as Opal in Because of Winn Dixie.” The next book in the trilogy, LOUISIANA'S SONG (2007) was equally well received, being named a Bank Street College Book of the Year and a finalist for several other awards. The third book, JESSIE'S MOUNTAIN, was published in 2008 to strong reviews. Her biography of Harper Lee, published in Viking’s UpClose Series, was a Booklist and Kirkus Pick of 2009. Her picture book, NOTHING FANCY ABOUT KATHRYN & CHARLIE, illustrated by her daughter, Lucy Madden-Lunsford was published by Mockingbird Publishers, and in the summer of 2013, Kerry and Lucy went on a book tour to rural Alabama libraries to do art and writing workshops with children across the state. Her first novel, Offsides, (William Morrow) was a New York Public Library Pick for the Teen Age has been released on Kindle by Curtis Brown Studios. Her book, WRITING SMARTS, was inspired by the writing workshops she's led with young writers for years and is a guide to sparking stories for kids ( American Girl Company.) Up Close Harper Lee made Booklist’s Ten Top Biographies of 2009 for Youth and was also a Kirkus Pick for 2009 and was re-released in 2015. She read her memoir-in-progress, Carson, China, and a Marriage – Alphabetically in Rome in 2016 as part of the “Carson McCullers in the World: A Centenary Celebration” at John Cabot University. She has published stories in the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Five Points, Shenandoah, Salon, Redux, Voices, Flash Fiction Magazine, and the Washington Post. She appeared for in her first indie film, “Little Feet” as a bag lady in Echo Park, directed by Alex Rockwell and premiered at the IFC in New York in December 2014. Kerry directs the Creative Writing Program at the University of Alabama Birmingham. The mother of three adult children, she divides her time between Birmingham and Los Angeles, as she and her husband are tenured in two different states. http://www.kerrymadden.com/ Reviews for Ernestine's Milky Way. “It seems like the recipe for Ernestine’s Milky Way is to fill a mason jar with the words of Kerry Madden-Lunsford and the pictures of Emily Sutton, add a spoonful of Barbara Cooney, William Steig, and Virginia Lee Burton, then shake it up into this fresh concoction of classic storytelling and energetic art. This book reads like butter.” – Marla Frazee, two-time Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator "This delicious period story with its warmly inviting illustrations has some surprises that get us right into the heart of the story. And what a good heart it is!” -Jane Yolen, author of Owl Moon, How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, and A Bear Sat On My Porch Today. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kerry-madden-lunsford/ernestines-milky-way/ Reviews for Gentle's Holler GENTLE'S HOLLER by Kerry Madden published by VIKING BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS in MARCH 2005 “ I had an older sister named Olivia Hyatt Weems, but she died, so I became Olivia Hyatt Weems. Livy Two for short." The second brilliant novel from critically acclaimed author Kerry Madden is due for release in March 2005. Set in 1962, GENTLE’S HOLLER tells the story of twelve year old songwriter, Livy Two Weems, struggling with life in a mountain family of ten children. “This book is the genuine article. Its lively humor and mountain poverty are married flawlessly. Its heroine, Livy Two is as bone real and as endearing as Kate DiCamillo’s Opal in Because of Winn Dixie.” Rosemary Wells “Kerry Madden, like her heroine Livy Two, has a rare gift for words. I loved the family and the book.” Betsy Byars “The story glows with warm and tender feelings that are ultimately what we all hope to instill in our children.” Audrey Couloumbis Kerry Madden wowed young adult readers with her first novel Offsides, selected by the New York Public Library as one of the Ten Recommended Books of 1997 for Mature Teens. Her bestselling second book, WRITING SMARTS, (American Girl Library) helps kids craft their own stories and poetry. GENTLE'S HOLLER is already being hailed as this generation's version of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie. Kerry is at work on the sequel GHOST TOWN DAYS News for UP CLOSE HARPER LEE Kerry Madden' biography, UP CLOSE HARPER, (Penguin 2009, starred Kirkus and Booklist) for young adults was re-released with an updated book cover, bio, and jacket flaps in conjunction with Harper Lee's new book, GO SET A WATCHMAN. MORE ESSAYS BY KERRY https://kerrymaddensabbatical.wordpress.com/