Kate Hannigan

Chicago children’s author Kate Hannigan used to work for daily newspapers, but now she writes fiction and nonfiction for young readers, digging up remarkable people from history and sharing their stories. Her historical fantasy series for middle-grade, THE LEAGUE OF SECRET HEROES (Simon & Schuster/Aladdin), is part of a three-book series that blends superheroes and real-life women from World War II — the original computer programmers called the ENIAC Six, brilliant code-crackers, courageous spies, and daring WASP pilots — and includes graphic novel elements. Book One is titled CAPE (August 2019) and received the Oklahoma Book Award and was named to the Illinois READS State List. Book Two MASK published in August 2020, and Book Three BOOTS hits shelves in August 2021.

While the series features chapters that are written in graphic novel format, Kate’s newest nonfiction THE GREAT CHICAGO FIRE: RISING FROM THE ASHES (First Second) published in June 2020 and is entirely a graphic novel, part of the new “History Comics” nonfiction line. Kate’s historical mystery THE DETECTIVE’S ASSISTANT (Little, Brown) about America’s first woman detective, won SCBWI’s Golden Kite Award for best middle-grade novel and was a California Young Reader Medal nominee. Her picture book biography of Belva Lockwood, A LADY HAS THE FLOOR (Boyd’s Mills), spotlights an early suffragette and first woman on the ballot for president. It was a Chicago Public Library “Best of the Best” 2018 pick, a Junior Library Guild selection, and a Mighty Girl “Best of 2018” pick. Kate lives in Chicago with her husband, three kids, and two dogs. She has eight more books forthcoming. Visit her online at KateHannigan.com