Barnhill, Kelly (1973-…), is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature for children. Barnhill received the 2017 Newbery Medal for her fantasy novel The Girl Who Drank the Moon (2016). The Newbery Medal is an annual award given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American children’s literature published in the preceding year.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon tells about a girl named Luna who has magical powers, and a kindly witch named Xan who lives in a forest. The witch rescues abandoned children born in a grim town called the Protectorate or the City of Sorrows and gives them to welcoming families in a happy town on the other side of the forest.
Barnhill won the 2016 World Fantasy Award for her short novel The Unlicensed Magician (2015). She also wrote the novels The Mostly True Story of Jack (2011), Iron Hearted Violet (2012), The Witch’s Boy (2014), and The Ogress and the Orphans and When Women Were Dragons (both 2022). Barnhill has published many short stories as well as poetry, essays, and nonfiction works for children.
Kelly Maureen Regan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Dec. 7, 1973. She received a B.A. degree in English from the College of St. Catherine (now St. Catherine University) in 1996. She married Ted Barnhill, a home designer, in 1999. Before devoting herself to writing, Kelly Barnhill held a variety of jobs, including teacher, park ranger, and waitress.
