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Katherine Hannigan Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Katherine Hannigan

Katherine Hannigan

Katherine Hannigan Biography

Katherine Hannigan was raised in western New York. She has undergraduate degrees in education and secondary mathematics, and painting. Her graduate degree is in studio art. She has worked as the education coordinator for a Head Start program and, most recently, as an assistant professor of art and design. She is the author of Ida B…and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster and (Possibly) Save the World, Emmaline and the Bunny, and True (…Sort Of). Ida B was a New York Times and Book Sense bestseller, a Parent's Choice Gold Award winner, and it appeared on more than thirty state award lists. She lives in Iowa

Katherine Hannigan's website

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Interview

Katherine Hannigan talks about Ida B, her first novel for children, explaining what aspects are autobigraphical and which famous author inspired her to start writing.

Where did Ida B and the idea for her story come from?
Ida B came out of a lot of things in my life – moving to the Midwest and falling in love with the space, the hills, the woods, the people who have no idea who you are but who wave and smile at you as they drive by. She came from a love of laughter and being outdoors, a fondness for people with a good dose of punkishness in them. I think in many ways Ida B has the life I would have chosen if I could have.

You were teaching at a university when you started writing this novel. What made you think about writing a children's book?
When I moved to Iowa, I decided that I wanted to write, on top of the teaching and making art and exhibiting I was doing. I wrote an article and a story, and I started a book a few times, but I always gave up after about ten pages because I didn't think I knew enough about what I was doing. Then a couple of years ago, on a whim, I went to hear somebody named Kate DiCamillo speak in St. Paul. I'd never read anything by her, but I thought I'd like to hear what an author had to say about the process and inspiration and that sort of thing. So I went to the Fitzgerald Theater and I started crying before Kate even opened her...

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Books by this Author

Books by Katherine Hannigan at BookBrowse
Ida B jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Katherine Hannigan but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Jeanne Birdsall

    Jeanne Birdsall

    Birdsall was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in the suburbs. She decided to become a writer at the age of ten - but she didn't start until she was 41. She worked first on other jobs, most notably as a ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Ida B

    Try:
    The Penderwicks
    by Jeanne Birdsall

  • Kate DiCamillo

    Kate DiCamillo

    It's a pipe dream of many an aspiring author: publish your debut novel, claim a spot on the New York Times bestseller list, and rack up an astonishing array of awards, including a Newbery Honor. For Kate DiCamillo, ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Ida B

    Try:
    The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
    by Kate DiCamillo

We recommend 5 similar authors

View all 5 Read-Alikes

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