Gail Jarrow is the author of nonfiction books and novels for ages 8-18.

Her books for young readers have been recognized as Winner of the Excellence in Nonfiction Award from YALSA-ALA; the Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Award; the Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award; the Jefferson Cup; the Charlotte Award; the Orbis Pictus Honor; the Grateful American Book Prize Honor; the Golden Kite Honor; Eureka! Gold Award; ALA/ALSC Notable Book; Notable Social Studies Trade Book; Outstanding Science Trade Book and Best STEM Book from the National Science Teaching Association/Children’s Book Council; Best Books awards from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Booklist, Bank Street College of Education, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, and NPR. She has received additional awards and recognition from the American Booksellers Association, American Library Association, Public Library Association, International Literacy Association, the Society of School Librarians International, and Junior Library Guild.

Watch a 2021 video of Gail discussing her books and career with Carolyn Yoder, her editor at Calkins Creek Books.

Read a 2022 interview with The Sepia Chronicles in which Gail explains how she does her research.

Read a 2022 interview with Cynsations about Gail’s approach to writing nonfiction for older readers.

MY STORY:

I spent my childhood in a small town in southeastern Pennsylvania. As soon as I learned how to write and spell—by about age seven—I wrote down my first story, complete with illustrations. Once I started writing, I never stopped.

Growing up, I cared for many beloved animals—cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, rats, and even a donkey. My pets have appeared in my NOVELS, and several of my NONFICTION books are about animals.

My interest in animals led me to study zoology in college and to teach science in grades 4-8 for several years. I received my B.A. in zoology from Duke University and my M.A. from Dartmouth College.

Eventually, I combined my passion for writing with my background in science and education. My publishing career began when I sold my first science article to a children’s magazine. Later, my writing branched into history and biography. I love learning about fascinating subjects and intriguing people.

Some of my books have been about SPOOKY subjects. I’ve written about mediums, spiritualism, and ghost-busters in SPIRIT SLEUTHS: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes. In THE AMAZING HARRY KELLAR, GREAT AMERICAN MAGICIAN, I discovered some of the secrets behind magic and illusions. After I noticed how easily people accepted as truth whatever they saw on social media, I examined how a radio play fooled the public more than eighty years ago in my SPOOKED!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America.

My MEDICAL FIASCOES series explores past medical mistakes and the ways those errors led to progress and new knowledge. The books in the series are : AMERICAN MURDERER: The Parasite That Haunted the South; AMBUSHED!: The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield ; and BLOOD AND GERMS: The Civil War Battle Against Wounds and Disease .

Years ago, in graduate school, I wrote a research paper about the effect of food additives on children. Still curious about the subject, I returned to it in THE POISON EATERS: Fighting Danger and Fraud in Our Food and Drugs.

When DEADLY DISEASES grabbed my attention, I wrote a series about them: BUBONIC PANIC: When Plague Invaded America; FATAL FEVER: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary; and RED MADNESS: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat.

Even as a child, I enjoyed historic sites and museums, and I still do. For LINCOLN’S FLYING SPIES: THADDEUS LOWE AND THE CIVIL WAR BALLOON CORPS, I did research at Civil War battlefields and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. When I worked on ROBERT H. JACKSON: NEW DEAL LAWYER, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, NUREMBERG PROSECUTOR, I spent time at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown, New York, and at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington. One of my books, THE PRINTER’S TRIAL, was inspired by a visit to Federal Hall in New York City.

My husband and I have three children and three grandchildren. Currently, I live in Ithaca, New York.