Amber

Smith

Young Adult and Middle Grade Author

Eliot Rosewater Award Honor Book

Travels from: Ithaca, NY

“Smith creates three-dimensional characters and a warm family dynamic, sensitively portraying learning differences and a beloved grandparent with dementia, and exploring difficult feelings without offering easy answers. Sadie’s struggles with friendship and being taken seriously ring true, as do her sympathetic voice and heartfelt love of dogs.” – Publishers Weekly

Amber Smith is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of young adult and middle grade novels, including The Way I Used to Be, The Last to Let Go, Something Like Gravity, and her forthcoming middle grade debut, Code Name: Serendipity.

Amber’s young adult novels deal with topics and issues near and dear to her heart, such as: mental health, gendered violence and abuse, and LGBTQ+ equality. Her debut young adult novel, The Way I Used to Be (2016) was an Eliot Rosewater Award Honor Book, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, an American Library Association Amelia Bloomer List selection, and nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award, as well as Connecticut’s Nutmeg Book Award. Her second novel, The Last to Let Go (2018), received starred reviews from Booklist and VOYA, was nominated for Maryland’s Black-Eyed Susan Award, a TAYSHAS List selection, and named a “must-read” book by B&N Teen Blog, Elite Daily, and Bookish. Her third novel, Something Like Gravity (2019) was a Whippoorwill Book Award Winner, received starred reviews from VOYA and BookPage, was selected for Kansas’s NEA Reading Circle List, and named an Amazon Best Book of the Month, a Buzzfeed Best Book of the Year, and “most-anticipated” by BookRiot, NewNowNext, Entertainment Weekly, and The Advocate. She has also contributed to the nonfiction YA anthology Our Stories, Our Voices (2018) which received a starred review from School Library Journal, was a Eureka! Nonfiction Award Honor Book and a Bank Street Best Book of the Year.

On the middle grade side, Amber loves to create worlds that are full of imagination, centering around family, friendship, and the challenges of growing up. Her debut MG novel, Code Name: Serendipity will be released in January of 2022 from Razorbill Books/Penguin Random House.

Amber grew up in Buffalo, New York, and now lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her wife and their ever-growing family of rescued dogs and cats. She writes in the hope that her books can help to foster change and spark dialogue.

Amber's Featured Titles

Growing Up Is Tough

Discussion of themes in Code Name: Serendipity, including the challenges of growing up. There’s a lot to be nervous and excited about, with so many changes happening with friends, family, and school. This discussion will use examples from the book to highlight ways to embrace change while still having fun.

Imagine This!

In this workshop, students will be asked to use their imaginations to write and/or draw a story from the perspective of their favorite animal or even a beloved pet. This is a great exercise that will teach empathy in a fun and constructive way.

Outsiders: What Does It Mean to Belong?

In Something Like Gravity, the two protagonists Chris and Maia are each going through very different experiences, but the thing they have in common is that neither of them feel like they belong. A discussion of themes in Something Like Gravity, including gender identity and expression, the complexity of relationships, and moving through grief and trauma. An exploration of what makes us different from each other, and what makes us the same.

Two Sides to Every Story

There is a quote in Something Like Gravity from writer Anais Nin, which says: “We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.” In this workshop, students will be asked to write a scene (picked at random or chosen from multiple options) from the perspective of two people or characters (chosen or created), paying attention to how events and circumstances can be interpreted differently depending on who is experiencing them. A great exercise for thinking about and writing conflict.

Shadows and Secrets: Shining a Light on Dark Topics

We all have things we keep hidden from others, but when does it become dangerous to hold on to our secrets? A discussion of themes in The Last to Let Go, and the importance of learning about and understanding issues and experiences like abuse and violence; why and how abuse happens, its signs and symptoms, and how to make a difference.

Dear Me: Writing a Letter to Your Future Self

In this writing workshop for students, we use the art of the letter (handwritten, to ourselves), where we are free to express and explore what is going on in our personal lives, both the good and the bad, as well as any hopes and goals we have for the future. Afterward, Amber will take the sealed envelopes home with her and mail them back to students in six months so they can see what has changed (or hasn’t). This exercise is a student favorite!

You and #MeToo

A discussion of how the #MeToo movement came about, and why it matters for everyone. Drawing on examples from The Way I Used to Be and other young adult books that address sexual abuse and assault, we will talk about the importance of consent, respect, and speaking out against all forms of sexual violence.

Trauma and Transformation

Trauma is something we all experience in different ways; it can result from any kind of loss, pain, or disappointment. Writing can be a powerful way to process pain and support and understand the healing process, not only for ourselves, but for others. Beginning with a word (either randomly selected or chosen) students will use a version of the “snowflake method: to explore how writing can be used to transform hurt to healing. An equally popular alternative is blackout poetry.

Writing as Activism

What does it mean to be an activist, and how do you know if you are one? A discussion of the diversity of American life, and the many voices that create the fabric of culture. How to use your experiences and voice to advocate through writing (or any means of creativity) for positive change in your world and community.

Praise For Something Like Gravity…

“Amber Smith’s Something Like Gravity is a tender, beautifully told story of first love and first loss and how finding the right person at the right time can be very thing that saves us. You will love Chris and Maia from the very first page of this gorgeous novel and will miss them long after you’ve finished.” — Julie Buxbaum, New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things

“A powerful and illuminating story about grief, identity and finding your true self. You will never forget Chris and Maia.” — Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl In Pieces

“With Something Like Gravity, Amber Smith again shows the heart and empathy that makes her one of young adult’s foremost storytellers. This is a vital and beautiful book.” — Jeff Zentner, author of the William C. Morris Award winning and Carnegie Medal longlisted The Serpent King and Goodbye Days

“Personal trauma and mutual soul searching brings together a unique couple over the course of a single summer, as both are trying to find their place in the world following a life-changing experience.” — HuffPost Queer Voices

Resources for Readers and Teachers

Amber’s Manuscript Services

Amber’s Upcoming Events

Honors, Awards & Recognition

New York Times Bestseller
Whippoorwill Book Award Winner, 2020
Kansas NEA Reading Circle List, 2020
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award Nominee, 2020
Eliot Rosewater Award Honor Book, 2018-19
Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award Nominee, 2018
Texas Library Association TAYSHAS List, 2018, 2017
American Library Association Amelia Bloomer List, 2017
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee – Best YA Fiction, 2016
Bank Street Best Books, 2016

Media clips

Hypable | ‘Something Like Gravity’ excerpt introduces us to Chris and Maia’s world

The New Hampshire | Mad About Books: ‘The Way I Used to Be’ by Amber Smith

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.