Simone Elkeles

Simone Elkeles is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of novels for teens. Simone’s books have won many awards including being YALSA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, being named to the YALSA Popular Paperbacks and Teens Top Ten lists, and added to the Illinois “Read for a Lifetime” Reading List. Simone also won the coveted RITA award from the Romance Writers of America for her book Perfect Chemistry. Simone is especially proud of the fact that the Illinois Association of Teachers of English named her Author of the Year.

Simone was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, where she still lives today. Simone went to the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and received her Bachelor’s of Science there in Psychology in 1992. She continued her education at Loyola University-Chicago where she received her Master’s of Science degree in Industrial Relations while working for a manufacturing company creating diversity programs for their employees.

She loves animals (she has two dogs – a labradoodle and a German Shepherd), kids (she also has two of those) and her family. In her spare time she’s the Hockey Mom for her kids hockey teams and is an active Girl Scout leader specially trained in outdoor education. She also spends time mentoring other teen and adult authors. (She also loves sushi, which you can probably tell by reading her books.) Simone writes about teens because she was a teen in the 80’s (when spiked hair and blue eye shadow were “rad”) and she loves writing about those exciting teen relationships and romances.

On the Web

• Official website [1]
• Wikipedia [2]

Books

• Better Than Perfect - 2014
• Chain Reaction - 2011
• Crossing The Line - 2018
• How To Ruin A Summer Vacation - 2006
• How To Ruin My Teenage Life - 2007
• How To Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation - 2009
• Leaving Paradise - 2007
• Perfect Chemistry - 2009
• Rules Of Attraction - 2010
• Wild Crush - 2015
• Wild Cards - 2013

Series/Related Titles

How To Ruin

1. How To Ruin A Summer Vacation
2. How To Ruin My Teenage Life
3. How To Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation

Leaving Paradise

1. Leaving Paradise
2. Return To Paradise

A Perfect Chemistry Novel

1. Perfect Chemistry
2. Rules Of Attraction
3. Chain Reaction

Wild Cards

1. Wild Cards
2. Better Than Perfect

Awards

• 2011 Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award Winner - Grades 9-12, Perfect Chemistry
• 2011 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award Winner - Young Adult, Perfect Chemistry
• 2010 RITA Award Winner - Young Adult Romance, Perfect Chemistry
• 2010 RT Reviewers Choice Award Winner - Young Adult Novel, Return To Paradise
• 2008 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal - Multicultural Fiction Children, How To Ruin My Teenage Life

Recognitions

• 2012 Gateway Readers Award Third Place - High School, Rules Of Attraction
• 2011 RITA Award Finalist - Young Adult Romance, Rules Of Attraction
• 2008 Sydney Taylor Books Award Notable - Teen, How To Ruin My Teenage Life
• 2007 Independent Publisher Book Award Silver Medal - Multicultural Fiction Children, How To Ruin A Summer Vacation

Awards (body of work)

• Illinois Author of the Year - Illinois Association of Teachers of English