Janet Lee Carey is an American author of children's and young adult fiction, particularly fantasy. Her works include Dragon’s Keep, Dragonswood, In the Time of Dragon Moon, The Beast of Noor, The Dragons of Noor, Stealing Death and Wenny Has Wings. Dragon’s Keep was selected for the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults list in 2008, and Dragonswood was selected for YALSA's Best Fiction for Young Adults list in 2013. Wenny Has Wings won the 2005 Mark Twain Readers Award and was adapted into a Japanese film in 2008.
Early life and education
Carey was raised in Mill Valley, California, where she developed an interest in writing during childhood. She graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 1981.
Career
Carey taught writing for more than ten years at Bellevue College and Lake Washington Vocational College. She later conducted writing workshops and presentations at conferences, literary festivals and writing retreats. In 2007, she co-founded Readergirlz, an online literacy project aimed at teenage readers. In 2010, Carey founded Library Lions Roar, a blog featuring interviews with youth librarians and information about library programs for children and teenagers.
Carey has cited authors including Ursula K. Le Guin, Juliet Marillier and Maggie Stiefvater, among the authors whose work she reads and admires. Carey has described mythology and traditional stories as influences on her fantasy writing, citing an interest in the history and origins of storytelling. She has also said that her personal experiences influenced the themes of Stealing Death, particularly its treatment of grief and mortality.
Selected works YearTitlePublisherSeriesRef2000Molly's FireAtheneum Books—2002Wenny Has WingsAtheneum Books—2004The Double Life of Zoe FlynnAtheneum Books—2006The Beast of NoorAtheneum Books for Young ReadersNoor saga2007Dragon's KeepHarcourt BooksWilde Island Chronicles2009Stealing DeathEgmont USA—2010The Dragons of NoorEgmont USANoor saga2012DragonswoodDial BooksWilde Island Chronicles2015In the Time of Dragon MoonKathy Dawson BooksWilde Island Chronicles2016The Twelve Days of Christmas: Starring the ChickensCaney Creek Books—
Adaptations Carey’s 2002 novel Wenny Has Wings was adapted into the Japanese film Ano Sora wo Oboeteru in 2008.
Awards and honors +YearWorkAward or honorResultRef2003Wenny Has WingsBorders Books Original Voices2005Mark Twain Readers Award2005The Double Life of Zoe FlynnKansas NEA Reading Circle List, Junior Title2006-2007The Double Life of Zoe FlynnWilliam Allen White Children's Book Award Reading List2007The Beast of NoorNYPL Best Books for Teen Age2008Dragon's KeepALA Best Books for Young Adults2009The Double Life of Zoe FlynnOne Book Sacramento children's book selection2013DragonswoodYALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
References
External links