“From the first moment of my virtual conversation with Shelby Van Pelt, I was under an enchantment. And she enthralled the room of guests at our Wildest Imaginings octopus event, who were set dreaming about her preternaturally exhilarating world of “Remarkably Bright Creatures,” and the stunningly indelible Marcellus. The way Shelby talked about her astonishingly moving debut novel, a possibility-enlarging, endlessly surprising voyage into the heart of an octopus exploring his captivity and discovering the bonds of friendship, fascinated the gallery of attendees” — Arukah Animal International, 2026
“Shelby was a pure delight and people loved how real and funny and interesting she was. She was gracious and welcoming at a huge, long line of people who wanted signatures. As people kept telling us, we certainly chose the right book for this year’s Salem Reads: One Book, One Community.” — Salem Public Library Foundation, 2026
“Shelby Van Pelt’s appearance was a huge hit for our Visiting Writers Series! We had to move her to a bigger auditorium to meet demand and everyone in attendance loved the engaging and funny presentation. She made plenty of time for Q&A and signed everyone’s books and made all our guests feel special!” — Lenoir-Rhyne University, 2025
“We loved hosting Shelby Van Pelt. Her presentation was engaging and personable, and it drew a record-breaking crowd for our author series. Shelby was incredibly friendly and approachable on and off stage. Even after a long line of book signings, she remained just as kind and attentive with the last patron as she was with the first. We heard nothing but praise from our attendees. We’d be thrilled to host Shelby again anytime!” — New Castle County Libraries, 2025
“Shelby was an absolute delight to host and work with! From the moment she arrived, her warmth, charm, and genuine nature made a lasting impression. As a speaker, she was both engaging and dynamic—effortlessly drawing in the audience with her authenticity and heartfelt storytelling. Her ability to connect on a personal level created an atmosphere that felt both inspiring and intimate.” — La Porte County Public Library, 2025
“Shelby Van Pelt was a fantastic presenter! She was kind, funny, and easily held the room’s attention for her hour-long presentation. We had hundreds of people attend our event, and she delighted every one of them. We would welcome her back again anytime!” — Willard Library, 2025
“Shelby Van Pelt is a dynamic speaker whose charm and authenticity immediately connects to the audience. Her delightfully entertaining talk covers everything readers are dying to know. Shelby’s open and vulnerable style combined with countless humorous anecdotes is a surefire hit with audiences.” — Cuyahoga County Public Library, 2025
“Shelby was a delight, both on the stage and off! Her prepared speech was perfectly paced and covered the information that our audience was most interested in. She was generous with her time and energy, and many people who met her remarked on her genuineness. She was honest and open both in private and in public, and people were drawn to that positive energy.” — Forsyth County Public Library, 2025
“Shelby Van Pelt was entertaining and genuine, and engaged our community members in one-on-one conversation and in her presentation. Our community loved celebrating reading through her book, Remarkably Bright Creatures.” — Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, 2024
“Shelby was a friendly and engaging speaker. She was wonderful to work with and it was a joy hearing her speak. I am so glad we were able to host her and would happily do so again for her next book!” — Broomfield Library, 2024
“Shelby Van Pelt’s book Remarkably Bright Creatures received an enthusiastic response from our community. The author was friendly, she engaged in a wonderful conversation with the moderator and answered questions from the audience with great thought and care. She signed books while chatting and having her photo taken, and took the time with each reader to answer questions about the characters in her book. I would highly recommend both Shelby and her book for a community read.” — Lake Forest Library, 2024
“The Schaumburg Township District Library hosted an event with Shelby Van Pelt, which was a resounding success. People came from both near and far to hear her speak about the creation of her novel Remarkably Bright Creatures. Shelby described the years-long process to move from story idea to published novel, providing insight for both readers and potential authors. Attendees commented on how approachable and kind Shelby was in both her presentation and during the book signing after the event. She not only personalized their books but added the perfect touch of a hand drawn octopus, leaving everyone smiling as they left the line.” — Schaumburg Township District Library, 2024
“Shelby was kind and personable, and so willing to talk to any of the participants. She is funny, engaging, thoughtful, and entertaining. I would have her here 1,000 more times if I could!” — Moline Public Library, 2024
“Our patrons loved meeting Shelby! She was so approachable and friendly, willing to chat and take photos with everyone who asked. She shared personal anecdotes and thoughtful reflections in two engaging presentations. We’d welcome her back any time!” — Kent District Library Cascade Branch, 2024
“Shelby Van Pelt is a lovely, down-to-earth author that resonates with a crowd. Our community found her not only charming and funny, but an engaging speaker whose novel spoke to them in numerous ways.” — Thomas County Public Library System, 2024
“I enjoyed the personable attitude of Shelby Van Pelt. She made us feel welcome and comfortable to ask her questions.” — Poplar Bluff Library Attendee, 2024
“Excellent presentation. Remarkably Bright Creatures is one of my favorite books. I’ve recommended it and bought it for others.” — Library Speakers Consortium, 2024
“Shelby is a sweetheart and I really enjoyed her knowledge and sharing about the writing process and her characters.” — Library Speakers Consortium, 2024
“Loved the book and the octopus narrative. This was an excellent share by Shelby of the experience of writing and her process. Very engaging speaker, well prepared and informative and full of great suggestions for writers and readers alike.” — Library Speakers Consortium, 2024
“It’s a rare opportunity to hear an author speak about their work, what inspired it, their process and their life. This webinar made me want to read the book a second time, and look for anything else this author has written.” — Library Speakers Consortium, 2024
“Shelby was down to earth and funny as well as interesting to listen to.a wonderful speaker!” — Literary Women, 2024
“Shelby was outstanding. She is a delight to work with and her presentation was refreshing. She is approachable and funny. She spent time with each of the attendees who had their books signed, sharing stories, taking photos, and generally being a gracious and amazing human.” — Alpena County Library, 2024
“Shelby VanPelt was wonderful during her stay in Hershey, PA. Our patrons gushed with appreciation days after her visit. Those who attended the event shared how they loved her real answers, her humor, and their ability to connect with Shelby. Shelby was gracious and talkative during the signing, making everyone feel special.” — Hershey Library, 2024
“The author signing was amazing! Our patrons loved the opportunity to say “hi” to Shelby and take a quick photo with her. She was so gracious about all of it.” — Glenview Library, 2024
“Shelby was a joy- fun and engaging and an awesome presenter. She was perhaps the best we e had and we’ve had some great ones. She is lovely in every way!” — Tupelo Reads, 2024
“Loved having her! The audience not only loved the book but enjoyed her very candid talk.” — Indian River Literary Society, 2024
“The students were engaged before, during, and after the session, a number noting that they had read the book twice or more. . . . One especially enthusiastic student declared. . . this was “the best day of her life. The evening concluded with the public event, attended by more than 200 RCSJ staff, students, and community members, some from as far afield as Stone Harbor, New Jersey. . . .In short, Van Pelt was both an awe-inspiring and delightful guest.” — Rowan College, 2023
“The event was a great success! Shelby is a charming and relatable speaker. Her talk was a fun mix of personal anecdotes, information about writing and readings from the book. The audience was engaged and so excited to be there! We also appreciated Shelby’s willingness to sign books for the attendees and our local book store.” — Lewis & Clark Library, 2023
“Shelby’s presentation was the perfect finale to an amazing season of programming based around her captivating book. Shelby was a pleasure to host, was generous with her time, and delivered a presentation that captivated the audience and lended itself to a remarkably engaging Q&A. Readers were left with an even greater appreciation of her work and writing process, hailing it as one of the best author talks in years!” — Galveston Reads, 2023
“During the entire month of March, the City of Santa Clarita Public Library selects and reads a book for our One Story One City program. For 2023, the book that we selected was Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. This year, like every other, we held an author conversation and although it was held virtually, Shelby was such a wonderful person to work with! She was ready and willing to answer our questions as well as those of the people attending the event. Our patrons were so delighted to hear about her journey and what she has in store next.” — Zoraida Martinez, Santa Clarita event, 2023
