BIO

Patti Kim was born in Busan, South Korea. She immigrated to the United States with her family in 1974 when she was four years old. Her overall experiences as a young Korean-American immigrant have influenced her work. Patti’s novels invoke themes of poverty, losing a parent, culture and fitting in, adjusting to a stepparent, empathy, and the search for identity. She uses honesty and humor to tell these complex stories.

As she grew up, Patti’s love for writing and gift for observation led her to study creative writing. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a BA in English in 1992 and an MFA in 1995. As an undergraduate, Patti received High Honors, as well as the “Outstanding Young Alumnus Award.” It was during her MFA that she began work on what would end up being her first novel, A Cab Called Reliable. She went on to create her first picture book, Here I Am, as well as the middle-grade series that all began with, I’m Ok, and continues with It’s Girls Like You, Mickey.