Lynne

Kelly

Middle Grade Novelist

Sign Language Interpreter

Travels from: Houston, TX

“She had all members of the audience, from 6-60 glued to their seats.” — Cleo Joyce, Forsyth Public Library, 2022

Lynne Kelly’s career as a sign language interpreter has taken her everywhere from classrooms to hospitals to Alaskan cruises. She was born in Galesburg, Illinois, grew up in Houston, lived in some much colder places, then found her way back to the Houston area. For a few years she also taught special education, a good career for someone with excellent organizational and planning skills. Lacking those skills, she quit teaching in 2006 and thankfully has more time for writing. But it was during those teaching years that she worked with some great kids and became interested in writing, so that all worked out.

Her 2019 novel Song For a Whale, about a deaf girl named Iris who forms an unlikely bond with the “loneliest whale in the world,” has been described as “finely crafted,” “important,” and “uplifting” by reviewers from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and School Library Journal. Song For a Whale received the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award and was named one of the best books of the year by New York Public Library. Her latest book, The Secret Language of Birds, was released in April 2024 as an instant USA Today bestseller. Three Blue Hearts, about a boy who cares for an injured octopus, will be out in the Fall of 2025.

Lynne's Featured Titles

Keynote: A Writer Writes and a Whale Sings

When we sit down to create, we don’t know how the finished product will turn out or how our audience will receive it. Yet there’s something that drives us to keep working on our craft. Lynne Kelly will share her fascination with a whale who sings like no other and what he has in common with those of us who create books.

Get In, Writer, We’re Going Plotting: How Your Character Drives the Plot

All stories have obstacles, but every character responds differently to those obstacles. Whether you like to plan your whole novel before you start writing or figure it out as you go, the characters you create determine how your story unfolds. In this session we’ll work on developing characters that drive the plot, and plot points that reveal who our characters are.

Once More With Feeling - A workshop on emotion and motivation

The books that stick with us most are ones that make us feel like we’re traveling the journey alongside the character. In this workshop, we’ll work on showing emotions and motivations so readers will feel pulled into your story and connected to your characters.

A Bridge Over Muddy Middles - A workshop on writing powerful midpoints

Often our stories start out strong, but turn mushy somewhere along the way. Writing a powerful midpoint gives you clarity about where your character is going and what they’ll need as they step into the last half of their journey. Whether you like to plan every scene before drafting or discover the story as you go, firming up the midpoint will give your work a stronger foundation.

“We had an absolute pleasure hosting Lynne Kelly for an evening author celebration as a pre-kickoff to March is Reading Month! It was truly an unforgettable experience for our young readers and their families to hear about what inspired Lynne. From engaging kids with stories about her characters to answering curious questions with warmth and enthusiasm, Lynne made every child feel seen and heard.” — Bloomfield Township Library, 2025

“Lynne Kelly was the perfect choice as the young adult author for our annual All Pueblo Reads project. Not only did Lynne deliver a wonderful presentation to our young viewers, she also promoted the event on her own social media page by sharing and liking the library posts. Lynne was knowledgeable, friendly and a pleasure to host.” — Pueblo City-County Library, 2023

“Lynne Kelly did a great job with both informing and entertaining my 4th and 5th graders. All of us, students and teachers alike, were fascinated with the story of Hastin and Nandita from Chained and at the same time, we all learned a lot that we didn’t realize about elephants and their way of life. I would definitely recommend this book and its author!” — Cathy Lancaster, librarian Giddings Intermediate School, Giddings, TX

“Lynne Kelly was a well prepared and passionate speaker. She had all members of the audience, from 6-60 glued to their seats. Her presentation covered her personal story, inspiration for SONG FOR A WHALE, and research process in a way that was interesting and relatable for young people. Lynne was very gracious with the question and answer session. She made sure everyone who wanted to ask a question was able to and gave considerate and well thought out answers. She was a joy to have at our library and I know she inspired many young authors in the making!” — Cleo Joyce, Forsyth Public Library, 2022

Lynne’s Upcoming Events

Resources for Readers

Honors, Awards & Recognition

USA Today Bestseller
Junior Library Guild Selection
ALA Schneider Family Book Award
The Odyssey Award
The Crystal Kite Award
South Asia Book Award

Media clips

Houston Life | Local author Lynne Kelly writes ‘The Secret Language of Birds’ after a rare whooping crane nesting event in Texas

EL Tenebaum Podcast | Song of a Writer with Lynne Kelly

Book Trust | Song For a Whale: the story of a Deaf girl and a whale both searching for connection

San Francisco Book Review | Interview with Lynne Kelly, Author of Song for a Whale

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.