“By turns heartbreaking and heart-healing, Manatee Summer is an empowering story about facing change with bravery, humor, and hope. Don’t miss this unforgettable middle grade debut by an exciting new voice.” — Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal-winning author

Evan Griffith is the author of the middle-grade novels Manatee Summer and The Strange Wonders of Roots and the picture book biographies Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power, Revolutionary Marine Scientist and Wild at Heart: The Story of Olaus and Mardy Murie, Defenders of Nature. His books have received multiple starred reviews, been nominated to several state reading lists, and been recognized as Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections, Bank Street’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, and National Science Teachers Association Best Stem Books, among other honors. He has several more books on the way, including his next nonfiction picture book Flight of the Bats: The True Story of the World’s Largest Urban Bat Colony.

Evan studied creative writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received his MFA in Writing for Children at the Vermont College of Fine Arts where he now serves as faculty. He worked for several years as an editor at Workman Publishing in New York City, where he specialized in non-fiction for children and adults, and he continues to take on select editorial projects. He often teaches writing classes and enjoys mentoring writers of all ages.

Evan's Featured Titles

Wild at Heart: The Story of Olaus and Mardy Murie, Defenders of Nature

Sleeping Bear Press |
Children’s

Mardy and Olaus Murie fell in love in–and with–Alaska. Then set out on an adventure across the Arctic for Olaus’s work as a biologist, encountering the beauty and danger of the wilds along the way. They learned from Indigenous communities to appreciate the interconnectedness of all living creatures and understood that the way humans were moving in on wild land was threatening the natural world. So they shifted the focus of their work to conservation, fighting to protect the land and animals–and lobbying for the creation of what finally became the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, nine thousand square miles of protected land!

Mardy and Olaus’s story of passion and hard work will inspire all readers to fan their spark of purpose into flame. Backmatter includes additional information on Mardy and Olaus, their legacy, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and more.

The Strange Wonders of Roots

Quill Tree Books |
Middle Grade

From the acclaimed author of Manatee Summer comes a poignant story about a girl who learns to lay down roots as she’s drawn into a fight over a local grove of trees that’s in danger of being torn down. Perfect for fans of Hoot and Operation Redwood.

Holly Foster knows that nothing lasts—not hometowns or schools, or even family. It’s just safer to keep herself uninvolved. So when she’s sent to spend part of the summer with her uncle, she knows better than to get attached to him…or any part of his small Vermont town of Arden.

But when she arrives, she’s drawn into the drama that’s split the town: The local plastic factory is trying to tear down the trees in the center of Arden to build a visitor’s center and museum. Holly shocks herself by stepping into the fray and taking on one of the most powerful families in the area. But as she learns more about the town—and makes a new friend or two—Holly is determined to protect the one place she thinks she could finally belong. But will she be able to convince the other townspeople that the trees deserve to stay?

Manatee Summer

Quill Tree Books |
Middle Grade

In this poignant middle grade contemporary debut that New York Times bestselling author Katherine Applegate calls “by turns heartbreaking and heart-healing,” Evan Griffith beautifully captures all the tenderness and uncertainty that come with caring for family, friends, and the natural world.

Peter and his best friend, Tommy, have a goal for their last summer before middle school: finish their Discovery Journal, a catalog of the wildlife around their Florida town. When they spot a manatee in a canal, Peter knows they’ve found something special—and when the manatee is injured by a boat, something to protect!

As Peter joins the fight to save Florida manatees, he also finds himself taking care of his ailing grandfather and facing an unwelcome surprise that jeopardizes his friendship with Tommy. Soon Peter is adrift, navigating shifting tides and realizing that he has as much to discover about himself as he does about the world around him.

Secrets of the Sea: The Story of Jeanne Power, Revolutionary Marine Scientist

Clarion Books |
Children’s

The curiosity, drive, and perseverance of the nineteenth-century woman scientist who pioneered the use of aquariums to study ocean life are celebrated in this gorgeous, empowering picture book.

How did a nineteenth-century dressmaker revolutionize science? Jeanne Power was creative: she wanted to learn about the creatures that swim beneath the ocean waves, so she built glass tanks and changed the way we study underwater life forever. Jeanne Power was groundbreaking: she solved mysteries of sea animals and published her findings at a time when few of women’s contributions to science were acknowledged. Jeanne Power was persistent: when records of her research were lost, she set to work repeating her studies. And when men tried to take credit for her achievements, she stood firm and insisted on the recognition due to her.

Jeanne Power was inspiring, and the legacy of this pioneering marine scientist lives on in every aquarium.

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School Visit: Discover MANATEE SUMMER (Grades 3-8)

Evan shares how MANATEE SUMMER grew from a poem to a short story to a novel, demonstrating that we never know where a piece of writing might lead us. He also explores how memories can be shaped into fiction, inviting kids to see their own lives as wells of inspiration. Includes a reading, a manatee trivia game, and Q&A.

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School Visit: Strange Wonders Await! (Grades 3-8; Writing Activity Included)

Evan reads from THE STRANGE WONDERS OF ROOTS and reveals how he created the fictional town of Arden for the story’s setting. Evan then guides students through a step-by-step interactive exercise in developing their own fictional settings that they can use for stories, with time for sharing, live feedback, and Q&A.

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School Visit: Dive Into SECRETS OF THE SEA (K-6)

Evan reads his nonfiction picture book SECRETS OF THE SEA to students, then explores the true story behind the book: How a revolutionary seamstress-turned-marine-biologist took the scientific world by storm in the 19th century by inventing aquariums and solving a mystery that had baffled scientists for ages! Strong STEM connections.

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Keynote, Professional Development, and Community Reading Programs

Curiouser and Curiouser – The Power of Curiosity for Readers, Writers, and Educators
Celebrate the power of curiosity! Evan discusses his writing journey, his process, his stories, his teaching, and how he seeks to engage and inspire young readers – all through the lens of curiosity.

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Seminar for Writers: Turning Memory Into Fiction

We’re often told to “write what we know.” But what does this mean? In this seminar, we’ll explore using our own lives as wells of inspiration for fiction, with the goal of forging strong personal connections to our stories.

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Seminar for Writers: Writing the Natural World

Now more than ever, stories that introduce kids to the wonders of the natural world—and the many threats its facing—are necessary and urgent. In this seminar, we’ll explore how to can make the natural world a vital force in our work, one directly tied to our story’s beating heart.

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Seminar for Writers: Creating and Raising Your Story's Stakes

Across form and genre, learn how to identify and raise the stakes to hook your reader. We’ll also explore 1) tying internal stakes to external stakes for Super Story Synergy, and 2) using internal stakes as a roadmap to key emotional beats.

THE STRANGE WONDERS OF ROOTS Discussion Guide

MANATEE SUMMER Discussion Guide

SECRETS OF THE SEA Educator Guide

WILD AT HEART Educator Guide

Honors, Awards & Recognition

MANATEE SUMMER:
Sunshine State Young Readers Award Nominee
William Allen White Children’s Book Award Nominee
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Nominee
South Carolina Children’s Book Award Nominee
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Bank Street’s Best Children’s Books of the Year
Indie Regional Bestseller

SECRETS OF THE SEA:
National Science Teachers Association Best STEM Books
Chicago Public Library’s Best Informational Books for Younger Readers
Bank Street’s Best Children’s Books of the Year
Rise: A Feminist Book Project Selection
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

THE STRANGE WONDERS OF ROOTS:
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Media clips

Publishers Weekly | Small Acts, Big Impact: 2021 Environmental Books for Young Readers

Kid Lit Craft | The Secrets to a Great Non-Fiction Picture Book: Q&A with author Evan Griffith

City Lifestyle | Texas Book Fest Preview

Story Time at Sea | Secrets of the Sea

Kid Lit Six | Episode 40

Kirkus Reviews | Manatee Summer

School Library Journal | Secrets of the Sea

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books | The Strange Wonders of Roots by Evan Griffith

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.

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