I write books—fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—for people of all different ages, and especially for young people. Before starting my writing career, I was a newspaper editor with American Lawyer Media and Legal Times; before that, I was a lawyer with the Washington, D.C. law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now called WilmerHale). I have a bachelor’s degree in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, and a law degree and master’s degree in world politics from the University of Michigan. I live in Maryland and Washington, D.C., with my husband, Rick Hoffman. We have two grown sons. Besides writing, I love to kayak, boat, and fish in the Chesapeake Bay region, swim, and play catch (with or without the dog). And, of course, I love to read.
Here are some awards my books have received:*
This Promise of Change
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Nonfiction
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor
Carter G. Woodson Book Award Honor
Arnold Adoff Poetry Award for New Voices
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
Sydney Taylor Book Award - Gold Medal
National Jewish Book Award
Orbis Pictus Award Honor Book
New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association (NAIBA) Carla Cohen Free Speech Book of the Year
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Honor
Virginia Library Association’s Jefferson Cup Award
Margaret Wise Brown Prize Honor Book (Hollins University)
SCBWI Crystal Kite Award
Nerdy Nonfiction Picture Book Award
Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award Honor (Maryland Library Association)
The Key from Spain
Sydney Taylor Book Award - Honor
The Year of Goodbyes
Sydney Taylor Book Award - Notable
Becoming RBG
Nerdy Book Award for Graphic Novels
Photo Ark ABC
NCTE Notable Poetry Book
Blueberry Honor Book (Evanston Public Library)
Dozer’s Run
Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award (Pennsylvania)
Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award (Kansas Reading Association)
We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song
Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Honor
American Folklore Society Aesop Accolade
Soldier Song
Society of Illustrators Original Art Silver Medal (for illustrations)
*Please visit the individual book pages on the Books tab for more!