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A. S. King

エー・エス・キング（エイミー・サリグ・キング）

A. S. King

Aliases: Amy Sarig King
Pen Names: Amy Sarig King（Used for middle grade works and some publications under full name）

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1970-03-10 （Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Dublin, Ireland (circa 1994–1996) → Tipperary, Ireland (circa 1996–2004) → Pennsylvania, U.S. (since 2004)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Short fiction writer, Young adult author, Instructor
Active Years
1994-
Affiliations
Vermont College of Fine Arts - Writing for Children and Young Adults MFA (former faculty)
Influenced By
George Saunders (often compared)
Nominations
Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel — Finalist (Please Ignore Vera Dietz, 2011), Cybils Award — Finalist (The Dust of 100 Dogs, 2009)

Education

Exeter Township Senior High School
Degree: High School Diploma
Period: 〜1988
Year of Graduation: 1988
Country: United States
Graduated in 1988
The Art Institute of Philadelphia
Photography
Degree: Photography degree
Country: United States
Earned a degree in photography

Awards

Michael L. Printz Award
2011
Work: Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Organization: Young Adult Library Services Association (American Library Association)
Result: Honor
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Young Adult Novel)
2012
Work: Ask the Passengers
Category: Young Adult Novel
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: Winner
Michael L. Printz Award
2020
Work: Dig
Organization: Young Adult Library Services Association (American Library Association)
Result: Winner
Margaret A. Edwards Award
2022
Work: Ask the Passengers; Glory O'Brien's History of the Future; Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Organization: Young Adult Library Services Association (American Library Association)
Result: Winner
Michael L. Printz Award
2024
Work: The Collectors: Stories (editor and contributor)
Organization: Young Adult Library Services Association (American Library Association)
Result: Winner
Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award
2015
Work: Glory O'Brien's History of the Future
Organization: Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Dust of 100 Dogs

2009 Young adult / Fantasy

An early novel blending elements of fantasy with realistic portrayals of young people in America.

identityfamilycoming of age

Please Ignore Vera Dietz

2010 Young adult / Contemporary

A YA novel about loss, friendship, and family relationships; critically acclaimed and award-nominated.

lossfriendshipfamily secrets

Ask the Passengers

2012 Young adult / Contemporary

Addresses loneliness, sexual identity, and family; won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

sexual identitylonelinessfamily

Dig

2019 Young adult / Contemporary

Explores family complexities and trauma with sharp psychological insight; won the Printz Award.

traumafamilyhealing

The Collectors: Stories

2023 Short stories / Anthology

An anthology edited and contributed to by King; notable for winning the Printz Award, an unusual honor for an anthology.

short fictiondiverse voicesblurring YA and adult boundaries

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future

2014 Young adult / Speculative elements

Questions the future, time and society from a teen perspective; selected for many best-of lists.

timesocial commentarycoming of age

Switch

2021 Young adult

Uses multiple perspectives to portray youth psychology and social issues; critically recognized.

peer relationshipsidentityviolence and recovery

Pick the Lock

2024 Young adult / Thriller elements

A recent, suspenseful work that draws readers in; named among best books of 2024 by several outlets.

suspensechoices and consequencescoming of age

Bibliography

  • The Dust of 100 Dogs (2009)
  • Please Ignore Vera Dietz (2010)
  • Everybody Sees the Ants (2011)
  • Ask the Passengers (2012)
  • Monica Never Shuts Up (2012)
  • Reality Boy (2013)
  • Glory O'Brien's History of the Future (2014)
  • I Crawl Through It (2015)
  • Still Life with Tornado (2016)
  • Me and Marvin Gardens (2017)
  • Dig (2019)
  • The Year We Fell from Space (2019)
  • Switch (2021)
  • Attack of the Black Rectangles (2022)
  • The Collectors: Stories (editor & contributor, 2023)
  • Pick the Lock (2024)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Bridges YA and adult readershipLyrical and sometimes surreal proseDirect, emotionally resonant narration
Recurring Motifs
family breakdown and recoverytrauma and healingyouth identityisolation and connection

Legacy

A. S. King is highly regarded in young adult literature for work that blurs the line between YA and adult fiction. She has won multiple major awards and is recognized as an important author in schools and libraries.

Academic Societies

  • Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (Outstanding Pennsylvania Author)

Archives

  • Library of Congress holds catalog records

Quotes

  • King falls in a camp with George Saunders as a writer who flouts conventions of genre and structure out of a sense that the world is full of meaning, but it is also totally crazy.
    Source: Andrew Harwell, HarperCollins Children's Books (comment quoted in reviews) (2013)

Trivia

  • Founded Gracie's House, a nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ youth, with her son (2023).
  • The only individual to win the Michael L. Printz Award twice (2020, 2024).
  • Born in Reading, Pennsylvania; holds a degree in photography.