Jory John is an American author of children's books and is known for incorporating
dark humor
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...
and discussing difficult topics in his books.
His books have landed on the ''New York Times'' bestseller list, including the first (''The Good Egg'') and second positions (''The Bad Seed''). He has also been an E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor recipient twice.
Career
Early in his career, Jory John volunteered, interned, then was hired as the programs director at
826 Valencia
826 Valencia is a non-profit organization in the Mission District of San Francisco, California, United States, dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. It was ...
, an educational nonprofit in the Mission District of San Francisco, where he worked from 2004 to 2009. During his time there, he ideated, programmed, and created ''Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids' Letters to President Obama''.
John left his position at 826 Valencia to focus more on his own writing, publishing ''All My Friends Are Dead'' with Avery Monsen the following year.
Beyond books, John has written for the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', the ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...
'', the ''Believer'', McSweeney's ''Internet Tendency'', and '' BuzzFeed.''
Books
Critter Jitters series
* ''First Day Critter Jitters'' (2020)
* ''Summer Camp Critter Jitters'' (2021)
The books were reviewed by ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...
.
* ''The Bad Seed'' (2017)
* ''The Good Egg'' (2019)
* ''The Cool Bean'' (2019)
* ''The Good Egg Presents: The Great Eggscape!'' (2020)
* ''The Couch Potato'' (2020)
* ''The Bad Seed Presents: The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky'' (2021)
* ''The Smart Cookie'' (2021)
* ''The Sour Grape'' (2022)
The books were reviewed by '' Kirkus,'' ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
,'' ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
,'' and ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
Lane Smith
Walter Lane Smith III (April 29, 1936 – June 13, 2005) was an American actor. His well-known roles included newspaper editor Perry White in the ABC series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', Walter Warner in '' Son in Law'', co ...
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
,'' ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', and ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
Mac Barnett
Mac Barnett is an American writer of children's books living in Oakland, California.
Barnett graduated from Pomona College, where he studied under the writer David Foster Wallace.Harry N. Abrams.
* ''The Terrible Two'' (2015)
* ''The Terrible Two Get Worse'' (2016)
* ''The Terrible Two Go Wild'' (2018)
* ''The Terrible Two's Last Laugh'' (2018)
The books were reviewed by '' Kirkus,'' ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
,'' and ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
''.
Goodnight Already! series
The Goodnight Already! books were illustrated by Benji Davies and published by
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...
.
* ''Goodnight Already!'' (2014)
* ''I Love You Already!'' (2015)
* ''Come Home Already!'' (2017)
* ''All Right Already!'' (2018)
The books were reviewed by '' Kirkus,'' ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
,'' ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', and ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
* ''Pirate's Log: A Handbook for Aspiring Swashbucklers'' with Avery Monsen (2008)
*''I Feel Relatively Neutral About New York'' with Avery Monsen (2011)
*''K is for Knifeball: An Alphabet of Terrible Advice'' with Avery Monsen (2012)
*''I Will Chomp You!'' (2015)
**Reviewed by ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
''
* ''Quit Calling Me a Monster!'' (2016)
**Reviewed by ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
''
* ''Can Somebody Please Scratch My Back?'' (2018)
**Reviewed by ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
''
* ''I Miss You, Barack Obama: 44 Postcards for All Occasions to Send to Anyone Who Misses the 44th President'' (2018)
* '' That's What Dinosaurs Do'' (2019)
**Reviewed by ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
,'' '' Kirkus,'' and ''School Library Journal''
* '' It's Not My Fault!'' (2020)
**Reviewed by ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
''
* '' Something's Wrong!: A Rabbit. a Hare, and Some Underwear'' (2021)
**Reviewed by ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
''
* ''This Book Will Get You to Sleep!'' (2022)
* ''Definitely a Unicorn'' (2022)
* The Alderweireld Book (2023)
Editor
* ''Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids' Letters to President Obama'' (2009)