About author Caren Stelson

Caren Stelson is the author of Sachiko: A Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivor’s Story, and A Bowl of Peace, a picture book of Sachiko Yasui’s story, as well as other works for children and young adults. To write Sachiko, Caren traveled to Nagasaki five times to interview Sachiko Yasui and research her story. Caren has had a long career in education, as a teacher, writer-in-residence, and freelance writer. After receiving her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Hamline University in 2009, Caren decided it was time to write the stories that needed her attention. Caren and her husband Kim have two adult children and two young grandchildren. Caren and her husband make their home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Publications

Stars of the Night, a picture book by MFAC alumni Caren Stelson

Stars of the Night

(Picture book) Carolrhoda Books, 2023

  • ALA Notable Children’s Book

  • Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year, Outstanding Merit

  • National Jewish Book Award Finalist

  • New York Public Library Best Books for Kids

  • Notable Books for a Global Society List Selection

  • Orbis Pictus Recommended Book

  • School Library Journal Best Book

More about Stars of the Night
A Bowl Full of Peace by Caren Stelson, MFAC alumni

A Bowl Full of Peace

(Picture book) Carolrhoda Books, 2020

  • Lectio Book Award nominee, Texas, 2021–2022

  • Minnesota Book Award finalist 2021

  • NCTAsia Freeman Award 2021

  • Nerdies: Best Nonfiction Picture Books 2020

  • Wanda Gág Read-Aloud Honor Book

More about A Bowl Full of Peace
Cover of Sachiko, by MFAC alumni Caren Stelson

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story

(Middle grade nonfiction) Carolrhoda Books, 2016

  • 2016 National Book Award Longlist, Young People’s Literature

  • 2017 Robert F. Sibert Honor Award for Information Books, ALSC

  • 2017 Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year List

  • 2017 Bank Street College of Education Flora Stieglitz Straus Award

  • 2017 Notable Children’s Books, ALSC

  • 2017–2018 ALA-CBC Reading Beyond List

  • 2016 American Library Association Notable Book

    ...and many more!

 

More about Sachiko

How to stay up to date with Caren Stelson

If you would like to stay up to date with Caren Stelson and her work, you can visit her website, carenstelson.com.

Explore more MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults alumni highlights

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