Jacqueline West is the author of the award-winning middle grade series The Books of Elsewhere. The Books of Elsewhere, Volume One: The Shadows (2010) garnered starred reviews, state award nominations, and a spot on the New York Times Bestsellers List.
Her first YA novel, Dreamers Often Lie (2016), is a dark and twisty romance that braids Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream into a modern-day teen's life.
Jacqueline's poetry has appeared in a variety of print and online publications and has garnered several awards, including a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg prize and two Pushcart nominations. Cherma, her series of poems about Wisconsin’s Bohemian immigrants, is published by the University of Wisconsin’s Parallel Press chapbook series.
Learn more and read interviews in Jacqueline’s bio or read her answers to frequently asked questions.
Coming from Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins on 10/9/18.
Preorder now at IndieBound or Amazon
Even the smallest wish can be dangerous.
Look closely.
Do you see that marble in the grass? The tiny astronaut with one arm raised? The old-fashioned key in the gutter?
Van sees them. Van notices all sorts of things. But usually no one notices Van. He’s small, and always the new kid, easy to overlook. But one day he watches a mysterious girl and a silver squirrel dive into a fountain to steal a coin.
And—even more strange—they notice Van.
Suddenly, the world changes for Van. It becomes a place where wishes are real. A place where wishes can be collected, just like his little treasures. A place where wishes can come true.
But that’s not always a good thing.
Not all wishes are good, you see, and even good wishes can have unintended consequences.
And Van is about to find out just how big those consequences can be.
Available Now - buy a copy of Candle and Pins from Alban Lake Publishing, in both paperback and digital formats
The poems of “Candle and Pins” are inspired by familiar—and some unfamiliar—superstitions, ranging from love charms to burial practices, parsley seeds to the evil eye. Like superstitions themselves, these poems explore the terrain where magic and everyday life intertwine, and where beauty, horror, fear, and belief combine in ways both new and ageless.
"...Eerie and beautifully shivery, like the unexpected caress of a gentle finger on the nape of your neck when you’re alone in the room. I caught myself going “ooh” in out-loud admiration several times during the course of the read, occasionally needing to pause and just sit and reflect and let things sink in. Artful, evocative, clever, gorgeous. Highly recommended!"
Jacqueline's poetry collection, "Candle and Pins: Poems on Superstitions" is now available for purchase from Alban Lake Publishing!
Jacqueline's next middle grade novel, THE COLLECTORS, is coming from Greenwillow/HarperCollins in fall 2018! Read the Publishers Weekly announcement.
A middle grade mystery DIGGING UP DANGER written by Jacqueline in collaboration with The Story Pirates (storypirates.org) and published by Rodale Kids, will be released in January 2018!
After a head injury, a high school actress is haunted by visions of William Shakespeare and his characters. But when one of those visions turns out to be real, she has to choose between lying to everyone else and lying to herself.
"Both moving and humorous... Shakespeare's characters really shine as they come to life in the twenty-first century."
- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Danger and mystery are around every corner as Olive encounters evil magic, talking cats, and a small boy trapped inside a painted world.
☆ "A suspenseful plot and insight into childhood loneliness - handily amplified by b&w illustrations - will have readers anxiously awaiting the next book."
-Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
Jacqueline loves to meet with readers and writers of all ages. Her background in teaching makes her an approachable and enthusiastic speaker and writing workshop leader. See her current schedule of speaking events.
If you are interested in having Jacqueline visit your school, library, bookstore, or other organization, contact her at jacqueline@jacquelinewest.com for rates and availability.
