Isabel truly believes that education and literature can be used to create a more just world.īeing the daughter of Mexican immigrants has taught Isabel resiliency and perseverance. in English Composition from California State University, San Bernardino. in English with a concentration in literature and her M.A. If she wasn’t writing books for children, she’d probably be working in education. She’s currently on staff for Sierra Nevada University’s Creative Writing in Children’s Literature MFA. She’s worked as a teacher’s aid in a school for children with special needs, as an AVID tutor, an elementary school library tech, a substitute teacher, an adjunct instructor at several community colleges, and even briefly as a high school English teacher. Her books have garnered many starred reviews and have been included in multiple best of lists including NPR’s yearly Book Concierge List, NYPL’s best of list, and the New York Times Best Books list.įor the last twenty-three years Isabel has worked in education in various capacities.

Most recently, My Papi Has a Motorcycle (Kokila), her most recent book, earned the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Award, Pura Belpré Illustration Honor Award, the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, and many other recognitions. Paul Getty Museum to write a non-fiction YA graphic biography, Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide (Getty Publications), which went on to be awarded the Boston Globe Horn Book Award. In 2016 Isabel was commissioned by The J. She is the author of the chapter books, Ugly Cat and Pablo (Scholastic, Inc.) and Ugly Cat and Pablo and the Missing Brother (Scholastic, Inc.). Gabi, A Girl in Pieces (Cinco Puntos Press), her first YA novel, was the recipient of multiple awards including the Tomas Rivera Award, California Book Award Gold Medal, and the Morris Award for Debut YA Novel. She proudly lives and writes in the Inland Empire of Southern California. Isabel Quintero is an award-winning writer and the daughter of Mexican immigrants.

Photographic by Isabel Quintero