Shannon Hale is the New York Times bestselling author of over thirty books, including fantasy novels The Goose Girl and Book of a Thousand Days, science fiction novel Dangerous, Newbery Honor winner Princess Academy, graphic novel memoirs Real Friends and Best Friends with LeUyen Pham, and romantic comedy Austenland, which is now a major motion picture starring Keri Russell. She lives in Utah with her husband and frequent collaborator Dean Hale, their four remarkable children, and two ridiculous cats named Misty Knight and Mike Hat.

LeUyen Pham worked in animation before turning to children's books. She has illustrated and written more than 80 books and in 2020, she won a Caldecott Honor for her illustrations in the book Bear Came Along. Her previous book, Outside, Inside is a moving picture book celebrating essential workers and the community coming together to face the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband.