Visiting Author: Hena Khan
The Visiting Author experience with Hena Khan in the Lindsey Library today was AMAZING!
Hena Khan is an award-winning author of picture books and middle-grade fiction. Her middle-grade novel Amina’s Voice launched Simon & Schuster’s groundbreaking Salaam Reads imprint and was named a Best Book of 2017 by the Washington Post, NPR, Kirkus Reviews, and others. The sequel, Amina’s Song, won the 2021 Asian/Pacific Award for Children’s Literature. Hena wrote the popular Zayd Saleem Chasing the Dream series, and More to the Story, a novel inspired by her all-time favorite book, Little Women. Hena’s acclaimed picture books include Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns, Under My Hijab, Crescent Moons and Pointed Minarets, Night of the Moon, and It’s Ramadan, Curious George.
Hena began writing for children with Scholastic book clubs, publishing books for popular series about spies, space, and more. She went on to write several pick-your-path format books, including adventures to Mars and the Amazon rainforest. However, as a mother, Hena yearned to see books that represented kids like her children and decided to write them.
Today, Hena writes full-time, often highlighting aspects of her culture, faith, community, friendship, and family, and she draws heavily from her own experiences. She loves exploring different formats to excite different readers, including a forthcoming graphic novel and new pick-your-path series. Hena enjoys presenting to children, educators, community members and others, and being a mom to two now teenaged boys. Whenever she gets the chance, Hena travels with her family, bakes, and reads books written by her favorite children’s authors.
