Melinda Szymanik is an award winning writer of picture books, short stories and novels for children and young adults. Her picture book, The Were-Nana, won the NZ Post Children’s Choice Award in 2009. Her novel, A Winter's Day in 1939 won Librarian's Choice at the 2014 LIANZA Awards, and her picture book Fuzzy Doodle, was a 2017 White Raven Selection by the International Youth Library in Germany. Ten of her books have received Storylines Notable Book Awards.

Melinda lives in Auckland with her family. She regularly does ‘writers in schools’ visits, was the 2014 University of Otago College of Education Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence, recipient of the 2023 Shanghai Writer's Residency, and regularly teaches creative writing workshops for adults and children.
 

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