The Abridged Version

Jennifer Wolf Kam has been writing since she could hold a crayon. Today she holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her young adult supernatural novel, DEVIN RHODES IS DEAD, winner of the NAESP Award, was published by Charlesbridge and nominated to VOYA MAGAZINE’S Top Shelf for Middle School Fiction. Jennifer’s debut picture book, UNTIL THE BLUEBERRIES GROW, was published by PJ Library in May 2022 and joined the PJ Library family of books. 

Jennifer is a five-time finalist for the Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing, and winner of the Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest for Middle Grade Fiction. Her supernatural short stories have appeared in the journal, Hunger Mountain. She lives in New York with her family, her rescue kitty, KitKat, and a love of history and chocolate.

KitKat supervises my progress.

Photo by Steven Andrews Photography

Awards:

  • National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Book Award
  • Five-time finalist for the Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing
  • Winner, Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest for Middle Grade Fiction
  • VOYA Magazine, TOP SHELF for Middle School Fiction

The Longer Version:

If you knew me in elementary school you may remember fondly (or not so fondly) my crayon and construction paper narratives.

Performing one of my stories

My very first book was about a germ named Sneazle who disliked his job because he didn’t want to make people sick. My first series followed, a collection of stories about magical creatures called Fluffy Furs, who looked strikingly similar to Sneazle (Hey, I never said I was an illustrator).

I wrote my first novel in my 8th grade woodshop notebook  (don’t ask me to build anything). It was a supernatural mystery and I scared myself silly as I wrote. Another novel followed, inspired by the novel, Space Station Seventh Grade, by Jerry Spinelli—this one about the life and times of an 8th grader (aka, me.) I couldn’t wait to wake up each morning to write. Quite simply, I was hooked. And I still am…

As a child, some of my favorite picture books were the Dorrie the Witch series by Patricia Coombs, Tell Me a Mitzi, by Lore Segal, and anything by Maurice Sendak, Arnold Lobel, and Margot Zemach. My favorite novels were, A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, by Judy Blume, The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper, The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, The Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald, The House With the Clock in its Walls, by John Bellairs, Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O’Brien, The Haunting, by Margaret Mahy, and The Little Leftover Witch by Florence Laughlin. 

Writers were always my rock stars, and in 2nd grade, I wrote a fan letter to Florence Laughlin after reading The Little Leftover Witch. I swooned like a 1960s-era Beatles fan when I received her generous reply.

I grew up on Long Island, New York, which while famous for strip malls and never-ending traffic, is a lovely, historic place. As a child I visited the old homes, harbors, and cemeteries, and grew up with the sense that we are deeply connected to those who came before us. I often wondered about these people. What were they like? What did they think about? Dream about? Wish for? What kinds of adventures, as well as struggles, did they have all in the course of a life lived? What kinds of stories disappeared without ever being told? 

As a writer, I get to imagine the lives of my characters—explore their thoughts and dreams. 

Best of all, I get to share them with my readers. 

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