Amie Kaufman

Amie Kaufman
BornMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
OccupationAuthor
GenreScience fiction, fantasy, young adult fiction
Years active2013–present
Notable awardsAurealis Award, Australian Book Industry Award, Gold Inky Award
Website
amiekaufman.com

Amie Kaufman is an Australian author. She has authored New York Times bestselling and internationally bestselling science fiction and fantasy for young adults. She is known for the Starbound Trilogy and Unearthed, which she co-authored with Meagan Spooner; for her series The Illuminae Files, co-authored with Jay Kristoff; and for her solo series, Elementals. Her books have been published in over 35 countries.[1]

Biography

Kaufman grew up in both Ireland and Melbourne, Australia. She earned undergraduate degrees, with honours, in law, history and literature. Later, she earned a Master's Degree in conflict resolution, and worked for seven years as a mediator before becoming a full-time author.[2] She is as of May 2018 a PhD candidate in Creative Writing.[3] She lives in Melbourne, Australia[4] with her husband and dog.

Literary career

Kaufman's debut, These Broken Stars, was co-authored with Meagan Spooner. The book was a New York Times bestseller[5] and won an Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult novel of the year.[6] The book was also shortlisted for a Golden Inky in the Australian Inky Awards and was named the Huffington Post Best YA Novel of 2013,[7] The series was in development for TV in 2016, with Freeform in the US and Sky UK, with MGM the studio and Eric Balfour and Warren Littlefield producing.[8][9] The sequel, This Shattered World was a nominee for the Aurealis Award for best science fiction novel.[citation needed]

Kaufman's Illuminae, co-authored with Jay Kristoff, was acquired by Random House in a preempt in 2013.[10] The first book in the series was published in late October 2015. It debuted at #5 on the New York Times Best Seller List Young Adult Hardcover list,[11] and eventually reached the #2 spot.[12] In November 2015, it was announced that Brad Pitt and his production company, Plan B Entertainment, had acquired the film rights to Illuminae.[13][14][15] Illuminae was nominated for the 2016 Prime Minister's Literary Award,[16] won the 2015 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction novel,[17] the 2016 Gold Inky Award for best teen fiction,[18] and the 2016 Australian Book Industry Award Book of the Year for Older Children.[19] The sequel Gemina, debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list[20] and won the 2016 Aurealis Award for Best Science Fiction novel.[21] The third book in the series, Obsidio, debuted at #6 on the New York Times children's series list,[22] as the #1 young adult bestseller in Australia,[23] and as a USA Today bestseller.[24]

Kaufman's next series with Spooner began with Unearthed in January 2018. In June 2017, ahead of the book's publication, it was announced that film rights had been acquired by Columbia Pictures, with Doug Liman as director and producer alongside Cross Creek Productions. Screenwriters were Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth.[25][26]

Kaufman's first solo series and first series for younger readers, Elementals, began with Ice Wolves in March 2018. The book was a Spring 2018 Indie Next Pick,[27] and earned a starred review from Kirkus.[28]

List of works

Novels

Starbound trilogy

The Starbound trilogy, co-authored with Meagan Spooner, consists of the following novels: These Broken Stars (2013), This Shattered World (2014), and Their Fractured Light (2015).[citation needed]

These Broken Stars received a starred review from Booklist,[29] as well as the following accolades:

This Shattered World was an Aurealis Award Nominee for Best Fantasy Novel and for Best Science Fiction Novel (Shortlist) (2014)[citation needed]

Their Fractured Light was an Aurealis Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction Novel (2015)[citation needed]

On May 2, 2016, the trilogy was acquired by MGM Television to be adapted into a television series for Freeform and Sky UK.[31]

Unearthed series

The Unearthed series, co-authored with Meagan Spooner, consists of the following novels: Unearthed (2017) and Undying (2018).[citation needed]

The Illuminae Files series

The Illuminae Files series, co-authored with Jay Kristoff, consists of the following novels: Illuminae (2015), Gemina (2016), Obsidio (2018), and the novella, Memento (2020).[citation needed]

Illuminae was a New York Times Bestseller.[32] It received a starred review from Booklist[33] and Kirkus,[32] as well as the following accolades:

Gemina received the following accolades:

Obsidio received starred reviews from Kirkus[41] and Booklist,[42] as well as the following accolades:

Elementals trilogy

The Elementals trilogy consists of the following novels: Ice Wolves (2018), Scorch Dragons (2019), and Battle Born (2020).[citation needed]

Ice Wolves received a starred review from Kirkus.[45]

Aurora Cycle trilogy

The Aurora Cycle trilogy, co-authored with Jay Kristoff, consists of the following novels: Aurora Rising (2019), Aurora Burning (2020), and Aurora’s End (2021).[citation needed]

Aurora Rising received starred reviews from Kirkus[46] and Booklist,[47][48] as well as the following accolades:

Aurora Burning was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2020)[53] and Australian Independent Booksellers' Indie Book Award Nominee for Young Adult (2020).[54]

The Other Side of the Sky series
  1. Kaufman, Amie & Meagan Spooner (2020). The Other Side of the Sky. HarperTeen.
  2. Beyond the End of the World: The Other Side of the Sky 2, co-authored with Meagan Spooner, was published 18 January 2022 by Allen & Unwin.[55]
The World Between Blinks

The World Between Blinks, co-authored with Ryan Graudin, was published on 5 January 2021 by Quill Tree Books. The book received a starred review from Booklist.[56]

The Isles of the Gods Series

The Isles of the Gods was published on 2 May 2023 by Random House Children's Books.[57]

The Heart of the World was published on 19 September 2024 by Rock The Boat.[58]

Short fiction

  • "One Small Step..." in Begin, End, Begin, edited by Danielle Binks (2017)[citation needed]
  • "I Swear This Part Is True" in Where The Shoreline Used To Be, edited by Susan La Marca and Pam Macintyre (2016)[citation needed]

Critical studies and reviews of Kaufman's work

The Other Side of the Sky
  • Chandler, Benjamin (January–February 2021). "The End of the World: Three New Young Adult Novels". Australian Book Review. 428: 47–48.

References

  1. ^ "Bio - Amie Kaufman". amiekaufman.com. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  2. ^ Kaufman, Amie. "Bio". Amie Kaufman. Archived from the original on 5 June 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  3. ^ "FAQ - Amie Kaufman". amiekaufman.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  4. ^ Atkinson, Frances (12 January 2017). "Gemina review: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff venture back to the Illuminae world". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 29 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Young Adult Books - Best Sellers - January 18, 2015 - The New York Times". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Past finalists and winners" (PDF). Aurealis Awards. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  7. ^ Parkin, Lisa (17 December 2013). "Top 10 Young Adult Books of 2013". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 1 May 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (3 May 2016). "'These Broken Stars' Sci-Fi Series From Eric Balfour & Warren Littlefield Eyed By Freeform & Sky". Deadline. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  9. ^ "'These Broken Stars' Heads to Television". PublishersWeekly.com. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  10. ^ "Literary Giant". 11 November 2013. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  11. ^ "Young Adult Hardcover Books - Best Sellers - November 8, 2015 - The New York Times". Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Young Adult Hardcover Books - Best Sellers - November 29, 2015 - The New York Times". Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Brad Pitt, Warner Bros Team to Adapt Sci-Fi YA Novel 'Illuminae' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  14. ^ Morris, Linda (21 November 2015). "Brad Pitt to turn Australian young adult thriller Illuminae into major Hollywood film". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  15. ^ McNary, Dave (20 November 2015). "Brad Pitt, Warner Bros. Developing Sci-Fi Movie 'Illuminae'". Variety. Archived from the original on 19 August 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  16. ^ Arts, Department of Communications and the (5 August 2016). "Winners and shortlist". www.arts.gov.au. Archived from the original on 2 March 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Announcing the 2015 Aurealis Awards Winners!". 25 March 2016. Archived from the original on 26 February 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  18. ^ Add new Comment. "2016 Inky Awards: The Winners!". Inside A Dog. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  19. ^ "2016 Winners - Australian Book Industry Awards". Abiawards.com.au. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  20. ^ "Young Adult Hardcover Books - Best Sellers - November 6, 2016 - The New York Times". Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  21. ^ "Announcing the winners of the 2016 Aurealis Awards!". Aurealis Awards. 14 April 2017. Archived from the original on 16 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  22. ^ "Children's Series Books - Best Sellers - April 1, 2018 - The New York Times". Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Jay Kristoff on Instagram: "In the past 20 days I have: - Visited 14 cities - Boarded 13 aircraft - Flown around 50,000kms - Signed countless books - Met thousands of…"". Instagram. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  24. ^ "Obsidio". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  25. ^ "Columbia, Cross Creek and Doug Liman Team for Sci-Fi 'Unearthed' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  26. ^ Kroll, Justin (7 June 2017). "Doug Liman to Direct 'Unearthed' for Columbia and Cross Creek". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  27. ^ "Elementals: Ice Wolves | IndieBound.org". www.indiebound.org. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  28. ^ ICE WOLVES by Amie Kaufman | Kirkus Reviews. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  29. ^ "These Broken Stars". Booklist. 1 November 2013. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  30. ^ "These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1)". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  31. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2 May 2016). "'These Broken Stars' Sci-Fi Series From Eric Balfour & Warren Littlefield Eyed By Freeform & Sky". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  32. ^ a b c "Illuminae". Kirkus Reviews. 23 June 2015. Archived from the original on 28 December 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  33. ^ Welch, Cindy (15 September 2015). "Illuminae". Booklist. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  34. ^ "Magda Szubanski takes out top book prize - 9News". Channel 9 national news. 19 May 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  35. ^ "Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  36. ^ "Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults: 2016". Booklist. 1 March 2016. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  37. ^ "Best Fiction for Young Adults: 2016". Booklist. 1 March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  38. ^ "2016 Teens' Top Ten". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 13 April 2017. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  39. ^ "Gemina (The Illuminae Files, #2)". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  40. ^ Lam, Anna (31 January 2017). "YALSA names 2017 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". American Library Association. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  41. ^ "Obsidio". Kirkus Reviews. 20 March 2018. Archived from the original on 24 October 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  42. ^ Welch, Cindy (1 April 2018). "Obsidio". Booklist. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  43. ^ "Obsidio (The Illuminae Files, #3)". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  44. ^ "Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults: 2019". Booklist. 15 March 2019. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  45. ^ "Ice Wolves". Kirkus Reviews. 22 November 2017. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  46. ^ "Aurora Rising". Kirkus Reviews. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  47. ^ "Aurora Rising". Booklist. 1 May 2019. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  48. ^ "Aurora Rising". Booklist. August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  49. ^ "Booklist Editors' Choice: Youth Audio, 2019". Booklist. 1 January 2020. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  50. ^ "Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1)". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  51. ^ "2020 Teens' Top Ten" (PDF). American Library Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  52. ^ "2020 Best Fiction for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 21 January 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  53. ^ "Aurora Burning (The Aurora Cycle, #2)". Goodreads. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  54. ^ Clark, Simon (8 December 2020). "The Indie Book Awards continue to champion great Australian writing with their 2021 Longlist". The AU Review. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  55. ^ Kaufman, Amie; Spooner, Meagan (18 January 2022). Beyond the End of the World: The Other Side of the Sky 2. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9781761063343. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  56. ^ Graham, Emily (1 November 2020). "The World Between Blinks". Booklist. Archived from the original on 15 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  57. ^ Kaufman, Amie (2 May 2023). The Isles of the Gods. Random House Children's Books. ISBN 9781761180064. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  58. ^ Dillon, Melanie (16 April 2024). "The Heart of the World by Amie Kaufman". School Reading List. Retrieved 1 September 2024.