Christina Soontornvat

Christina Soontornvat (Thai: คริสติน่า สุนทรวัฒน์; born 1980) is an American author, educator, and mechanical engineer. She won two Newbery Honors in 2021 for the children's books A Wish in the Dark and All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team (fiction and nonfiction, respectively), and another Newbery Honor in 2023 for the middle grade novel "The Last Mapmaker".

Christina Soontornvat
Born1980 (age 42–43)
OccupationAuthor
EducationTrinity University (BS)
University of Texas at Austin (MS)
Period2016–present
GenreChildren's and young adult fiction
Website
soontornvat.com

Early life and education

Soontornvat was born in 1980,[1] a daughter of Amnaj Soontornvat, a businessowner from Thailand and granddaughter of Thai broadcasting executive Saengchai Sunthornwat.[2][3] She attended Weatherford High School in Weatherford, Texas, graduating in 1998.[4] She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Trinity University in 2002,[5] and a Master of Science degree in science education from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007.[6]

Career

Prior to her literary career, Soontornvat worked at a science museum.[4]

In 2020, Soontornvat wrote the children's books A Wish in the Dark and All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team.[7][8] In an interview, she stated that All Thirteen, which describes the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, was told "from the Thai perspective as much as possible, and to let people know about Thailand".[9] Both books were awarded a Newbery Honor in 2021, making Soontornvat the third author to receive two Newbery awards in the same year (after Meindert DeJong in 1954 and E. L. Konigsburg in 1968).[4] She is the first author to win two Newbery awards in the same year for both fiction (A Wish in the Dark) and nonfiction (All Thirteen).[4]

Soontornvat, along with fellow writers Ellen Oh and Melanie Conklin, organized the Everywhere Book Fest, which took place May 1–2, 2020.[10][11] It was created in response to book festival cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Tucson Festival of Books, where Soontornvat and Oh had been scheduled to speak on a panel.[12] The event included live and pre-recorded segments featuring authors of children's and young adult books, and was attended by over 43,000 online viewers.[11]

Personal life

Soontornvat lives in Austin, Texas with her husband. They have two children.[4]

Publications

Changelings series
  1. The Changelings (September 6, 2016)[13]
  2. In a Dark Land: A Changelings Story (October 1, 2017)[14]

Diary of an Ice Princess series
  1. Snow Place Like Home (June 25, 2019)[15]
  2. Frost Friends Forever (June 25, 2019)[15]
  3. On Thin Ice (October 1, 2019)[16]
  4. The Big Freeze (March 3, 2020)[17]
  5. Slush Puppy Love (June 2, 2020)[17]
  6. Icing on the Snowflake (September 15, 2020)[18]

Other books

References
  1. "About Christina". Christina Soontornvat. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  2. Bunnag, Tatat (November 9, 2020). "A breathtaking tale". Bangkok Post. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  3. "'โค้ชเอก-หมูป่า'รับ1.5ล้าน ค่าลิขสิทธิหนังสือ-ภาพยนตร์". Siam Town US (in Thai). 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  4. "WHS graduate and author gains two Newbery Honors". Weatherford Democrat. February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  5. Blank, Gwen (December 1, 2020). "Saving All Thirteen". Trinity University. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  6. Anchondo, Carlos (September 12, 2016). "Creating Fantasy". Trinity University. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  7. Mayer, Petra (August 31, 2020). "Welcome To Story Hour: 100 Favorite Books For Young Readers". NPR. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  8. Gurdon, Meghan Cox (October 30, 2020). "Children's Books: Help Is On the Way!". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  9. Murphy, Patricia J (January 25, 2021). "Q & A with Christina Soontornvat". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  10. de León, Concepción (March 20, 2020). "Home With Your Kids? Writers Want to Help". The New York Times. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  11. Kantor, Emma; Yung, Sarah (May 7, 2020). "Everywhere Book Fest in Photos". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  12. Vane, Sharon (April 24, 2020). "Authors create virtual Everywhere Book Fest for kids, young adults during coronavirus". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  13. "The Changelings". Kirkus Reviews. June 1, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  14. "In a Dark Land". Kirkus Reviews. August 21, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  15. "Spring 2019 Children's Announcements: Publishers R-Z". Publishers Weekly. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  16. Lodge, Sally; Maughan, Shannon (July 19, 2019). "Fall 2019 Children's Announcements: Publishers R-Z". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  17. Lodge, Sally; Maughan, Shannon (February 14, 2020). "Spring 2020 Children's Announcements: Publishers R-Z". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  18. Lodge, Sally; Maughan, Shannon (July 17, 2020). "Fall 2020 Children's Announcements: Publishers R-Z". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  19. "The Blunders". Kirkus Reviews. October 9, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  20. "A Wish in the Dark". Kirkus Reviews. January 12, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  21. Shea, Shana (May 8, 2020). "Simon at the Art Museum". School Library Journal. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  22. "All Thirteen". Kirkus Reviews. August 18, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  23. "The Ramble Shamble Children". Kirkus Reviews. December 25, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  24. "The Last Mapmaker". Kirkus Reviews. January 11, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
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