Holly Black (née Riggenbach) is an American best-selling author and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her books have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film.
Black was born in West Long Branch, New Jersey. She graduated with a B.A. in English from The College of New Jersey in 1994. She worked as a production editor on medical journals including The Journal of Pain while studying at Rutgers University.
Her first book, Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2002. The novel was well received by critics and was included in the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults.
She published a companion book, Valiant (2005), which was the recipient of a Nebula Award, and a sequel, Ironside (2007), which spent five weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.
Her most notable work is the bestselling Spiderwick Chronicles (2003–2009) created in collaboration with artist Tony DiTerlizzi. The children's book series follows the adventures of the Grace children, twins Simon and Jared, and their older sister Mallory after they move into the Spiderwick Estate and discover a world of fairies that they never knew existed.
The Spiderwick Chronicles were adapted into a film by Paramount Pictures in conjunction with Nickelodeon Films. Released in February 2008, the film stars Freddie Highmore and Sarah Bolger, with Mark Waters as the director.
Black has been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award, and the recipient of the Mythopoeic Award, and a Newbery Honor.
Holly Black has also done short fiction and some comic work. In 2022, she made her adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of secret societies.
She currently lives in New England with her husband and son in a house with a secret library.
Photo credit: blackholly.com
