Mindy Nichols Wendell
Mindy Nichols Wendell comes from a long line of teachers and storytellers. She learned to read at an early age and has never stopped. Beginning in fourth grade, Mindy failed every eye test she took. The ophthalmologist told her parents she should stop reading so much. Luckily, her parents disagreed and just kept buying her new glasses.
For more than thirty years, Mindy spent her days (and nights and weekends) teaching writing, reading student papers, and discussing novels, picture books, and poetry with thousands of students, many of whom now have classrooms of their own. Mindy is a strong advocate for children and believes everything teachers do in the classroom should help kids become joyful lifelong readers and writers. In 2019, Mindy received the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Recently retired, Mindy is now a full-time writer and grandmother. She lives in Western New York with her husband, Steve, a retired elementary school teacher. She has six grown kids and kids-in-law and four adorable grandsons.
Mindy's debut novel, LIGHT AND AIR (Holiday House), is the story of ten-year-old Hallelujah Newton and her search for hope and healing in a tuberculosis sanatorium in 1935.