Gennifer Choldenko is a native of Santa Monica, California. She is the youngest of four siblings: two sisters and one brother. Her sister, Gina, has autism.
(Gennifer Choldenko photo #2)
A graduate of Brandeis High school, Choldenko majored in literature and creative composing before she went on to work in advertising. There she learned a lot about craft, discipline, and deadlines. In her creative composing, she realized that many of the novels she created focused on 12- to 16-year-old characters, so composing for children seemed to be a likely career path. At the Rhode Island Colledge of Design, where she received a Bfa degree in illustration, she was taught by author/illustrators such as Chris Van Allsburg and David Macaulay. As Gennifer honed her craft, she felt that her composing skills were becoming stronger than her illustration skills. When Hyperion offered her a contract for her first book, the picture book Moonstruck: The True Story of the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon, they wanted it to be illustrated by someone else, which moved her farther along the path of becoming a full-time author.
(Gennifer Choldenko photo #3)
Gennifer's first novel, Notes from a Liar and Her Dog, was released in 2001.
Gennifer Choldenko
