Bio: Moni Ritchie Hadley, a half-Japanese military brat, bounced back and forth from the USA to Japan. Daydreaming was a favorite pastime. She received a BA in Psychology at UCLA and later became a home/hospital teacher for the LAUSD, where she taught students unable to attend regular school due to medical needs. She is the author of the forthcoming MISO MAGIC(‘24),ANZU AND THE ART OF FRIENDSHIP (‘23), and THE STAR FESTIVAL (‘21), receiving a starred review from the School Library Journal, among other honorary mentions. Her work can also be found in HighlightsandHigh Five Magazine. An avid believer in education, Moni created the Write Kidlit NOW! Scholarship fund to help other children’s book writers live their dream. Today she lives in Los Angeles, where she turns her sky-gazing daydreams into stories for children.
OTHER WORKS: Her short film, MANiCUREd, won “Best No-Budget Film” at the 2009 Broad Humor Film Festival. Her wetsuit story appeared as part of the Fashion Unraveled, 2018 spring exhibition for The Museum of FIT.
WHY DO I WRITE? I hope all children will find beauty and delight in the characters and settings in my books. If I can make kids wonder, then I've done my job as an author and educator.