Shannon Hitchcock is the author of the critically acclaimed The Ballad of Jessie Pearl, hailed for its immediacy and cadenced voice. This novel’s story is based on Shannon’s real-life experience and the teacher who inspired her as a child. Shannon’s picture book biography, Overgrown Jack, was nominated for the Sue Alexander Most Promising New Work Award. Her writing has been published in Cricket, Highlights for Children, and Children’s Writer. She lives in Tampa, Florida.