Elizabeth Acevedo discovered her love of words as a young child, making up elaborate stories that she would recite to anyone who would listen, including her neighbor’s plants.

Infused with magic and the voices of the Caribbean, her poetry, performance art and best-selling novels Poet X and With the Fire on High have won her international acclaim, including the National Book Award and Carnegie Medal.

Elizabeth says she is on a quest to redefine what it means to be a Latina in the U.S. and to create characters that allow young boys and girls to see themselves reflected in the pages and find pride in their heritage.