E. Lockhart

Emily Jenkins
Jenkins in 2025
Born (1967-09-13) September 13, 1967 (age 59)
New York City, New York
OccupationWriter
SpouseDaniel Aukin
Writing career
Pen nameE. Lockhart
Period1996–present
GenresChildren's picture books, young adult fiction
Notable works
  • The Boyfriend List (Ruby Oliver series)
  • The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
Websiteemilyjenkins.com

Emily Jenkins (born September 13, 1967), who sometimes uses the pen name E. Lockhart, is an American writer of children's picture books, young adult novels, and adult fiction. She is best known for the novels The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and We Were Liars; the latter was adapted into a television series in 2025. Her father, Len Jenkin, is a playwright.

Personal life

Jenkins was born in New York City, and grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Seattle, Washington. In high school, she attended summer drama schools at Northwestern University and the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. She attended Lakeside School, a private high school in North Seattle. She went to Vassar College, where she studied illustrated books and interviewed Barry Moser for her senior thesis, and she attended graduate school at Columbia University, where she earned a doctorate in English literature.

Writer

Jenkins writes as E. Lockhart for the young adult market. “Lockhart" was the family name of her maternal grandmother. Her first book under her pen name was The Boyfriend List, published in 2005 by Random House Dell Delacorte Press. There are three sequels: The Boy Book (2006), The Treasure Map of Boys (2009), and Real Live Boyfriends (2010); the four are also known, collectively, as the Ruby Oliver novels, after their central protagonist. Another novel for teens, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (2008), was a finalist for both the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the Michael L. Printz Award. We Were Liars made the shortlist of four books for the 2014 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. The annual prize, judged by British children's writers, recognizes the year's best U.K. published book by a writer who has not previously won it.

Under her real name, Jenkins has collaborated with illustrators to produce children's books and picture books. They have received honors such as the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award (the original Toys Go Out, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky) and two runners-up for Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Five Creatures, illus. Tomek Bogacki, and That New Animal, illus. Pierre Pratt).

Works

Children's books by Emily Jenkins

Adult books by Emily Jenkins

  • Tongue First: Adventures in Physical Culture (1998) – essays
  • Mister Posterior and the Genius Child (Berkley Books, 2002) – a novel

Young adult books by E. Lockhart

Ruby Oliver series

  • The Boyfriend List:15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs, and Me, Ruby Oliver) (Random House/Delacorte Press, 2005)
    • This novel has been suggested as a great novel to co-teach with The Scarlet Letter for high school students.
  • The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them (Delacorte, 2006)
  • The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon, and Me, Ruby Oliver (Delacorte, 2009)
  • Real Live Boyfriends: Yes, Boyfriends, Plural, if my Life weren't Complicated, I wouldn't be Ruby Oliver (2010) – Ruby Oliver #4 (senior year), the finale

Liars series

  • We Were Liars (Delacorte, 2014)
  • Family of Liars (Delacorte, 2022)
  • We Fell Apart (Delacorte, 2025)

As a co-author

  1. Upside-Down Magic
  2. Sticks & Stones
  3. Showing Off
  4. Dragon Overnight
  5. Weather or Not
  6. The Big Shrink

Awards

Year Book Award Result Ref.
2006 The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs, and me Ruby Oliver Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Selection
2008 The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Cybils Award for Best Young Adult Novel Winner
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks National Book Award for Young People's Literature Finalist
Dramarama Best Books for Young Adults Selection
Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Selection
2009 The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Amelia Bloomer Book List Selection
Best Books for Young Adults Selection
Michael L. Printz Award Honor
Teens’ Top Ten Top 10
2009 Dramarama Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Selection
2010 The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch--And Me, Ruby Oliver Best Books for Young Adults Selection
2011 The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Selection
2013 The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Top 10
2014 We Were Liars Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult Fiction Winner
2015 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Selection
Best Books for Young Adults Top 10
Inky Awards Silver
2018 Genuine Fraud Inky Awards Silver
Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults Selection
2022 Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero Sydney Taylor Book Award for Young Adult Honor
Great Graphic Novels for Teens Selection

References

  1. ↑ Library of Congress Authorities cites a 2002 phone call to publisher.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "FAQ". e. lockhart: i write novels (emilylockhart.com). Last updated February 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  3. ↑ "How to Be Bad". Donna Freitas. The New York Times. August 15, 2008. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
      Review of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.
  4. ↑ "about emily". emily jenkins. Retrieved September 30, 2026.
  5. ↑ "about emily". emily jenkins. Retrieved September 30, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Emily Jenkins '85: "Subversive and clever" novels with "fierce femme" heroines - Lakeside School". www.lakesideschool.org. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Emily Jenkins". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  8. ↑ "Biography" Archived June 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. e. lockhart: i write novels (emilylockhart.com). Retrieved 2015-01-31.
  9. ↑ 2008 National Book Award Finalist, Young People's Literature: E. Lockhart Archived August 19, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2014-07-16. With linked audio-video reading.
  10. ↑ "The Guardian children's fiction prize longlist 2014 – in pictures". The Guardian. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  11. ↑ "Guardian children's fiction award shortlist 2014". Emily Drabble. The Guardian. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 2015-01-21.
  12. ↑ "Toys Go Out" Archived September 15, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Emily Jenkins (emilyjenkins.com). Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  13. ↑ "Seven Impossible Interviews Before Breakfast #5: Emily Jenkins — One of Our Favorite Writers (According to Us)". Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast: a blog about books (sevenimpossiblethings.com). February 7, 2007. Retrieved 2014-07-16. Interview with length introduction, by Eisha and Jules.
  14. 1 2 3 "Emily Jenkins" (about). Emily Jenkins (emilyjenkins.com). Retrieved 2014-07-16.
  15. ↑ "About Len Jenkin". www.lenjenkin.com.
  16. ↑ "The Secret Life of Billie's Uncle Myron". Archived from the original on January 13, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Sophie Blackall's Blog - A Fine Dessert - Part 1 - October 03, 2013 11:22". www.goodreads.com.
  18. ↑ "More Forthcoming Books". Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  19. ↑ Jenkins, Emily; Zelinsky, Paul O. (July 3, 2015). "Toys meet snow: being the wintertime adventures of a curious stuffed buffalo, a sensitive plush stingray, and a book-loving rubber ball". Schwartz & Wade Books – via catalog.loc.gov Library Catalog.
  20. ↑ "about emily". emily jenkins. Retrieved September 30, 2026.
  21. ↑ "about emily". emily jenkins. Retrieved September 30, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Title: Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything". www.isfdb.org.
  23. ↑ "Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). July 30, 2007. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  24. ↑ "The 2008 Cybils Winners". Cybils. February 14, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  25. ↑ "National Book Awards 2008". National Book Foundation. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Dramarama | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. March 4, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  27. ↑ "2008 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). January 15, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  28. ↑ "2009 Amelia Bloomer List". American Library Association. January 13, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  29. ↑ "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks | Awards & Grants". American Library Association. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  30. ↑ Morales, Macey; Petersen, Jennifer (January 26, 2009). "Melina Marchetta Wins 2009 Printz Award". American Library Association. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). March 15, 2007. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  32. ↑ Kuenn, Stephanie (October 20, 2009). ""Paper Towns" tops YALSA's 2009 Teens' Top Ten". American Library Association. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  33. ↑ "2009 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). January 22, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  34. ↑ "2010 Best Books for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). January 13, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  35. ↑ "2011 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). December 27, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  36. ↑ "2013 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Top Ten". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). January 30, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Announcing the Winners of the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards!". Goodreads. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  38. ↑ "2015 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). February 3, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  39. ↑ American Library Association (February 3, 2015). "2015 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  40. ↑ "Australia's favourite young adult authors shortlisted for Inky Awards". State Library Victoria. August 25, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  41. ↑ O'Gorman, Lilly (March 1, 2018). "2018 Inky Award longlist announced; teen judges invited to apply". State Library Victoria. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  42. ↑ "2018 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). January 9, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  43. ↑ Communications and Marketing Office (January 24, 2022). "2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award winners announced". American Library Association. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  44. ↑ "2022 Great Graphic Novels for Teens". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). February 4, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2022.