Illinois Authors

Union Square Kids 2023

Jeff Miller’s heartbreaking, coming-of-age middle-grade novel—inspired by his personal experience living through his own parent’s heart transplant—invites readers into the world of a twelve-year-old birdwatcher looking for a place to call home and a way to save his mother, even if it means venturing deep into Florida swampland. Twelve-year-old Graham Dodds is no stranger to hospital waiting rooms. Sometimes, he feels like his entire life is one big waiting room. Waiting for the next doctor to tell them what’s wrong with his mom. Waiting to find out what city they’re moving to next. Waiting to see if they will finally get their miracle—a heart transplant to save his mom’s life. When Graham gets stuck in Florida for the summer, he meets a girl named Lou at the hospital, and he finds a friend who needs a distraction as much as he does. She tells him about a contest to find the endangered Snail Kite, which resides in the local gator-filled swamps. Together they embark on an adventure, searching for the rare bird . . . and along the way, Graham might just find something else—himself. Jeff Miller crafts a heartfelt story about what it means to live in this unforgettable middle-grade novel. Rare Birds is a rare find that will resonate with fans of the Carl Hiassen’s Hoot and Melissa Savage’s Lemon. For readers looking for novels with literary appeal and classic themes of family, friendship, and the meaning of life, Rare Birds is a perfect pick.

HarperCollins 2015

In this exciting sequel to The Nerdy Dozen, Neil Andertol and his gang of dorky gamers are once again called on to fly a top-secret mission—one that is literally out of this world. This time, rescuing mankind means heading into outer space. A top-secret spacecraft has been stolen, and NASA needs the best pilots in the universe to get it back—the Nerdy Dozen. It's a race against time to stop an earth-shattering disaster. Can the twelve geeks save the day again—or will it be game over?

HarperCollins 2015

Can the nerds handle the high seas? It’s anchors away for this motley crew of middle grade, video-gaming heroes. In the exciting third book of the Nerdy Dozen series, Neil Andertol and his friends are in for their toughest mission yet!Neil and his crew have reunited at Reboot Robiski’s video-game convention in order to try the brand-new underwater game, Captain Jolly’s Shark Hunt. Except that their win only leads to trouble.Neil, Sam, and Biggs are captured by the real Captain Jolly, who needs their video-game skills so she can destroy the world. As they embark on an underwater adventure, can the Nerdy Dozen save the day before everything is KO’d?

HarperCollins 2014

When Neil Andertol and a motley crew of video-gaming whizzes accidentally download top-secret training software and are recruited by the military to restore a botched aircraft mission, they're no longer playing for points—they're playing to save the world! Part action movie, part slapstick comedy, debut author Jeff Miller's The Nerdy Dozen is a madcap adventure for the middle grade set.