Amy Sonnichsen grew up in Hong Kong and then spent eight years living in mainland China as an adult. She now lives with her husband and five kids on the desert side of Washington State where there are tumbleweed instead of evergreen trees. Her favorite hobbies are reading, hiking, and indulging in British murder mysteries on TV. Besides writing novels, she also works as a para-educator in a classroom for students with autism.

Meet A.L.

Find her books below!

Red Butterfly

A young orphaned girl in modern-day China discovers the meaning of family in this "heartbreaking, heartwarming, and impressive debut" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) told in verse, in the tradition of Inside Out and Back Again and Sold.

Kara never met her birth mother. Abandoned as an infant, she was taken in by an American woman living in China. Now eleven, Kara spends most of her time in their apartment, wondering why she and Mama cannot leave the city of Tianjin and go live with Daddy in Montana. Mama tells Kara to be content with what she has...but what if Kara secretly wants more?

Told in lyrical, moving verse, Red Butterfly is the story of a girl learning to trust her own voice, discovering that love and family are limitless, and finding the wings she needs to reach new heights.

Co-written with Shawn Johnson

From gold medalist and reality TV star Shawn Johnson comes an "absorbing portrait of a young athlete's quest to achieve her Olympic dreams" (Kirkus Reviews) inspired by her own experiences as an elite teenage gymnast.

Charlie Ryland has a secret.

She may seem like your average high school sophomore—but she's just really good at pretending.

Because outside of school Charlie spends all her waking hours training to become one of the best gymnasts in the world. And it's not easy flying under the radar when you're aiming for Olympic gold...especially when an irresistible guy comes along and threatens to throw your whole world off balance.

Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson writes a delightfully entertaining novel about chasing big dreams and falling in love, all while trying to keep it real.