About
Karen Krossing wrote comics and poetry as a kid and dreamed of becoming a published writer. Today, she’s the author of twelve books for kids and teens, including picture books and novels. She won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Canada in 2015 and 2023 and has been a finalist for the Ontario Library Association White Pine Award and the Joan F. Kaywell Books Save Lives Award, among other honors. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and she’s on faculty at Whale Rock Workshops. Watch for her upcoming picture books with Groundwood, Owlkids, and Charlesbridge in 2025 to 2027.
Karen offers writing workshops for all ages and readings and book talks. She’s a freelance writer and editor for educational clients. She also mentors writers for kids and teens.
Karen lives with her family in Toronto, on the traditional territory of the Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Anishinabeg and the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit.
Karen’s Latest
Monster vs. Boy
Middle-Grade Novel
No one in the ramshackle house knew that a monster—who was smaller than a bear cub—lived in Dawz’s bedroom closet. She called herself Mim.
Picture Books
One Tiny Bubble
The wondrous true story
of one tiny bubble
that sparked all life on Earth –
including yours
Winner of the 2023 SCBWI
Crystal Kite Award for Canada
Sour Cakes
Heavy emotions meet
a deep well of understanding
in this uplifting sibling picture book
2021 Ontario Library Association Best Bets selection
The Buzz
Kingston WritersFest
Monster vs. Boy “expertly navigates what it’s like to be young and unsure of yourself…. A moving tale of learning to accept yourself, flaws and all.”
Kirkus Reviews
One Tiny Bubble “squeezes millions of years of our past into a beautiful brief narrative of our last universal common ancestor.”
School Library Journal
“Sour Cakes is an ode to sibling relationships and how, in particular, a sibling can lift you up when you are in the stormiest, heaviest of moods.”
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Follow Along
My Writing News and Views
New Book Contract Signed
I signed a new book contract last week, and I’m feeling really happy about it! I now have five picture books in the works with wonderful illustrators and publishers, including three with Groundwood Books that have become a series! Please watch my Coming Soon page for...
New Book Deal: One Cosmic Rock
I'm thrilled to be co-creating One Cosmic Rock: The Asteroid That Changed Our World with illustrator Julia Vasileva! A companion book to One Tiny Bubble: The Story of Our Last Universal Common Ancestor, this new picture book tells the story of the asteroid responsible...
Where Young Authors Can Submit
I've updated my list of Where Young Authors Can Submit. It includes contests, publications, podcasts, workshops and communities for youth who like to write. Welcome to my latest addition – YouthWrite camps for kids who write located in Alberta!
Schedule a Visit
Karen Krossing offers in-person and virtual visits to schools, libraries, festivals, and conferences, including book talks, writing workshops, lectures, and keynotes. She loves meeting readers and writers of all ages. Read more…
Book a Mentorship
Karen loves working one-on-one with pre-published and published writers to support their writing, submitting, and publishing journeys. Read more…