Lindsay Lee Johnson

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A native Minnesotan, I grew up in a family of storytellers, so I think of words as my first and most enduring playthings. I have a BA in English literature and journalism from the University of Minnesota and have done additional study at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. I've worked as a newspaper reporter, editor, community education instructor, visiting author in schools, and freelance writer of everything from business brochures to greeting cards and fortune cookies, but my heart has always belonged to fiction.

I've written award-winning stories for adults as well as for children. In 2004, I received the Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award from the International Reading Association. My two previously published children's books are Hurricane Henrietta and A Week With Zeke & Zach. My vivid memories of childhood, especially the emotions of childhood, along with my heart for all things stray and powerless, fuel my desire to write. My new release from Front Street, Soul Moon Soup, was inspired by my volunteer work with homeless families and at-risk children. I write from my home in the east central Minnesota countryside, where I live with my husband, four house cats, six chickens, and assorted other animals. My husband and I have twin daughters and three grandchildren.




			Ten Moonstruck Piglets illustrated by Carll Cneut Clarion Books, 2011 ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0618868667 Playful, fun-to-read-aloud language from a respected young adult poet and novelist joins distinctive illustrations from a noted European artist in this captivating picture book. Ten piglets wander off into the dark, drawn by the light of the moon. After rambling far from home, plundering and looting and dancing in a moonlit trance, they attract the attention of a prowling fox. They howl for their mama, an enormous sow, who awakens, heaves herself to her feet, and tracks down all of her offspring. Each pig has a distinct personality and name, so readers can follow the adventures of their favorite through the book. This satisfying bedtime story is based on a real phenomenon in which baby animals become entranced by the moonlight.



			Worlds Apart Front Street Books, 2005 ages 10 and up, ISBN 978-1-932425-28-4 Set in 1959 and inspired by the author’s own childhood, Worlds Apart tells the story of 13-year-old Winnie May, whose comfortable life as the daughter of a big-city surgeon is turned upside down when her family abruptly moves to a home on the grounds of a remote mental institution. At first Winnie resents being the new kid at school where she is ridiculed as “the girl who lives at the local loony bin.” While Winnie’s efforts to escape her strange new existence are repeatedly foiled, eventually she is swept up in a world full of people and events that cause her to question her former life and then to see everything in a new light—her family, her friends, and herself.



			Soul Moon Soup Jacket art Helen Robinson, Front Street Art Director Front Street, Inc., 2002 ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-1-886910-87-4 A novel written in verse, Soul Moon Soup tells the story of a young homeless girl, Phoebe Rose. Phoebe and her mother carry their suitcase through the city from soup kitchen to soup kitchen, trying to get by. Her mother warns Phoebe not to expect too much from life, but Phoebe is an artist who likes to draw wishes and dreams. One terrible day, Phoebe loses the suitcase and everything in it. Her mother puts her alone on a bus and sends her to the country to live with her grandmother for the summer. Phoebe misses city life and is hurt that her mother sent her away. Gram is gentle and welcoming, but Phoebe is slow to warm to her and makes plans to run away. Then Phoebe befriends a girl across the lake and begins to draw again. Phoebe slowly comes to terms with her separation from her mother, and just when she begins to enjoy being at Gram's, her mother comes for her with the news that they now have a key to a room in the city — a place they can give things another start. Awards Named to a list of 26 cream-of-the-crop books, "Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2003" by Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), a committee of public and school librarians for middle school students.



			Hurricane Henrietta illustrated by Wally Neibart Dial Books for Young Readers, 1998ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-8037-1976-7 Hurricane Henrietta is famous for something she's never done: She's never cut her hair. It billows like a sail. Little kids play in her hair, her brother's guinea pig gets lost in it, and it starts a tornado at the vegetable market, where rutabagas and eggplants rain down on the startled shoppers! Henrietta enjoys her fame, but now it's time for Safari Camp. How will her mountainous mane fare in the woods? Will it fit in the tent? Will birds and squirrels build nests around her ears? Finally Henrietta visits Francine at the Bald Eagle Hair Salon. The floor becomes a sea of wavy tresses, but at last Henrietta is pleased with her new look, and Harry the wig salesman will have a new line of Henrietta's Wonder Wigs. Lindsay Lee Johnson deftly weaves imagination and realism to create a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud story. Wally Neibart, an illustrator for forty years, brings Henrietta's billowing hair to life, making her a legend in her own time. This is a first children's book for both.



			A Week With Zeke and Zach (Speedsters) illustrated by Holly Kowitt Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1993 ages 7 to 10, ISBN 978-0-525-45097-9 With the energy of a double tornado, twins Zeke and Zach go wild when the weird relatives come for a visit. From spaghetti on the ceiling to exploding bean bag chairs, the action is wacky fun all week with this duo.