A. J. Sass comprehensive bio
A. J. Sass (he/they) is an author whose narrative interests lie at the intersection of identity, neurodiversity, and allyship. He is the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 titles Ellen Outside the Lines, which was also a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, and Ana on the Edge, as well as the co-author of Camp QUILTBAG (with Nicole Melleby). All three books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections.
A. J. is the author of the upcoming middle grade book Just Shy of Ordinary (Little, Brown, 2024), the picture book Shabbat Is … (Little, Brown, 2024), and a contributor to the This Is Our Rainbow (Knopf Books for Young Readers), Allies (DK/Penguin Random House), and On All Other Nights (Abrams, 2024) anthologies.
When he’s not writing, A. J. figure skates and travels as much as possible. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his husband and two cats who act like dogs. Visit him online at sassinsf.com and follow him @matokah on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.
Author photo
Click here for the full-size image.
Please credit photographer Deven Sass-Cao.
Ana on the Edge
Ana on the Edge-specific bio
A. J. Sass (he/they) is an author, editor, and competitive skater. A long-time figure skater, he has passed his U.S. Figure Skating Senior Moves in the Field and Free Skate tests, medaled three times at the U.S. Synchronized Skating Championships, and currently dabbles in ice dance. A. J. lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his husband and two cats who act like dogs. Ana on the Edge is his first novel.
Ana on the Edge book cover
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Ellen Outside the Lines
Ellen Outside the Lines-specific bio
A. J. Sass (he/they) is the author of Ana on the Edge and Ellen Outside the Lines. He is an avid traveler who loves learning about different languages and cultures. After five business-related trips to Barcelona, he was thrilled to finally return as a tourist to do research for this book (which involved Gaudí tile-spotting, mastering the subway, and eating a custard-filled donut for breakfast each morning). When he’s not experiencing new places, A. J. lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his husband and two cats who act like dogs.
Ellen Outside the Lines book cover
Camp QUILTBAG
Camp QUILTBAG-specific bio
A. J. Sass (he/they) is the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Rainbow Book List Top 10 titles Ellen Outside the Lines, which was also a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, and Ana on the Edge. He grew up in the Midwest, came of age in the South, and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his husband and two cats who act like dogs. Visit him online at sassinsf.com.
Camp QUILTBAG book cover
General Author Info
Writing as: A. J. Sass
Goes by: Andrew Sass (aka, feel free to call me Andrew in casual conversation :))
Pronouns: he/they (pick one or feel free to use interchangeably)
Location: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
Representation
Literary: Jordan Hamessley at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc.
Subrights: Jordan Hamessley, in partnership with Veronica Grijalva
Film/TV/Dramatic: Jordan Hamessley, in partnership with Pouya Shahbazian
Publisher Info
Ana on the Edge
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hachette)
Editor: Lisa Yoskowitz
Publicist: TBD
Cover artist: Ellen Shi
Release date: October 20, 2020 (hardcover + audiobook); October 19, 2021 (paperback)
Awards/Accolades: 2021 ALA Rainbow List Top Ten Title for Young Readers; 2020 Booklist Editors’ Choice; Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection; 2024 Connecticut Nutmeg Children’s Book Award nominee; 2024 Washington Sasquatch Award nominee; A Bank Street Children’s Best Book of the Year
Ellen Outside the Lines
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hachette)
Editor: Lisa Yoskowitz
Publicist: TBD
Cover artist: Ana Hinojosa
Release date: March 22, 2022 (hardcover + audiobook); September 19, 2023 (paperback)
Awards/Accolades: 2023 Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor book; 2023 ALA Rainbow List Top Ten Title for Young Readers; 2022 Booklist Editors’ Choice; 2022 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection; 2024 Georgia Children’s Book Award nominee
Camp QUILTBAG
Co-Author: Nicole Melleby
Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers (Workman/Hachette)
Editor: Krestyna Lypen
Publicist: Meghan O’Shaughnessy
Cover artist: Violet Tobacco
Release date: March 21, 2023 (hardcover); May 30, 2023 (paperback)
Awards/Accolades: Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection
Just Shy Of Ordinary
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hachette)
Editors: Erika Turner; Caitlyn Averett; Lisa Yoskowitz
Publicist: TBD
Cover artist: TBD
Release date: Winter 2024
Allies: Real Talk About Showing Up, Screwing Up, And Trying Again
My status: Contributor
My story title: This Is What It Feels Like
Publisher: DK Children (Penguin Random House)
Acquiring editor: Tori Kosara
Co-Editors: Shakirah Bourne and Dana Alison Levy
Release date: July 29, 2021 (UK paperback; audiobook); September 14, 2021 (US hardcover; audiobook)
Awards/Accolades: 2021 Eureka! Gold Award winner (judged by the California Reading Association); A Bank Street Children’s Best Book of the Year
This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us
My status: Contributor
My story title: Balancing Acts
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House)
Acquiring editor: Marisa DiNovis
Co-Editors: Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby
Cover artists: Jessica and Jacinta Wibowo (Jes & Cin)
Release date: October 19, 2021 (hardcover + audiobook); April 11, 2023 (paperback)
Awards/Accolades: A Kirkus Reviews 2021 “Best Book of the Year”; A NAIBA Best Book of the Year; A Bank Street Children’s Best Book of the Year; 2022 ALA Rainbow Book List book; A CCBC Choices 2022 Book
On All Other Nights
My status: Contributor
My story title: The Awful Omen
Publisher: Abrams
Acquiring editor: Erica Finkel
Editors: Chris Baron; Joshua S. Levy; Naomi Milliner
Publicist: TBD
Cover artist: TBD
Release date: Winter 2024
Shabbat Is …
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Hachette)
Editor: Erika Turner; Lisa Yoskowitz
Illustrator: Noa Kelner
Publicist: TBD
Release date: Fall 2024