Jessi Kirby

Jessi Kirby (born on July 28, 1978) is an American author of young adult fiction. Her debut novel, Moonglass, was published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers on May 3, 2011.^[1]

Early Life and Education

Kirby grew up in Mammoth Lakes, CA, where she attended Mammoth High School. She then attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, where she studied English. She later taught English and worked as a librarian in public schools for several years before publishing her first novel. She currently lives in Crystal Cove, CA, with her husband and two children.^[2]

Works

Moonglass

from Simon and Schuster:

When Anna was little, she and her mother used to search for sea glass, but since they looked at night, they called it moonglass. Now, ten years after her mother's mysterious death, her father is working as head lifeguard on the same beach where her mother grew up and her parents first met and fell in love.

Reluctant to get close to anyone (including her father) and not pleased about having to start at a new school, Anna begins to spend more time alone, running the length of the beach and wondering about who her mother really was. After meeting a lifeguard named Tyler, she slowly lets her guard down and together they start exploring the abandoned houses that dot the beach.

But when learning more about her mother's past leads to a painful discovery, Anna must reconcile her desire for solitude with ultimately accepting the love of her family and friends.^[3]

In Honor

In Honor is Jessi Kirby's forthcoming second YA novel, which will be published on May 8, 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Honor receives her brother's last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn's celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.

Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn's last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn's best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn't seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn. . . and ruggedly good looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn't. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences? ^[4]

Awards and Recognition

• Moonglass is a Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012 nominee from the American Library Association.^[5]
• Moonglass and Jessi Kirby have been selected to the ABC Children's Group's 2011 New Voices Top Ten List for Teens.^[6]

References

1. ^ http://books.simonandschuster.com/Moonglass/Jessi-Kirby/9781442416949
2. ^ http://www.jessikirby.com/
3. ^ http://books.simonandschuster.com/Moonglass/Jessi-Kirby/9781442416949
4. ^ http://books.simonandschuster.com/In-Honor/Jessi-Kirby/9781442416970
5. ^ http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestficya/titlesnominated.cfm
6. ^ http://news.bookweb.org/news/abc-new-voices-flier-promotes-outstanding-debut-works-middle-grade-and-teen-readers