Meet the author

Vera Brosgol.

Writer & illustrator · United States · b. 1984

Vera Brosgol: Russian-American cartoonist behind Anya's Ghost, Be Prepared and Leave Me Alone! — emotionally precise, semi-autobiographical graphic novels and picture books for ages 5–14.

Vera Brosgol is a Russian-American cartoonist and illustrator born in 1984 in Moscow, who emigrated to the United States as a child. Best known for the middle-grade graphic novels Anya's Ghost (YA, semi-autobiographical) and Be Prepared (autobiographical, about a Russian-American summer camp), and the picture book Leave Me Alone! (Caldecott Honor). Brosgol's style is character-driven, slightly retro and emotionally precise, with strong skill at depicting the lived experience of immigrant childhood. She also works as a storyboard artist at Laika animation studio. A core contemporary middle-grade graphic-novel and picture-book maker for ages 5–14.