The Tryout

Christina Soontornvat is a celebrated author of more than 20 children’s books. These books include both fiction and nonfiction, and both graphic works and novels. She is known for her versatility and for portraying Thai American protagonists and heroes. Christina comes from a mixed background; her father immigrated from Thailand when he was 19 and met Christina’s mother, a Texan, soon after. Christina continues to be inspired by her family and their strength in fighting to belong. Living in a small town in Texas in the 1980s and 1990s meant that Christina’s family was one of the only Asian American families, but this never stopped her parents from striving toward their goals. Christina has been awarded three Newbery Honors, both for fiction and nonfiction, and her work represents a clear effort by herself and other modern authors to instill values of understanding and compassion in the new generation.

Christina has always loved storytelling, and along with her continued work in authoring her own stories, she also travels the world speaking about the power of storytelling. She hopes to inspire others to tell their own stories. Christina wrote The Tryout after discovering that her friends and family were always entertained and moved by her story of the seventh grade cheerleading tryouts. She decided to turn those experiences into a more universally understood experience reflecting The Desire to Fit In and Feel Understood as one approaches adolescence. Christina is also deeply inspired by her family, both immediate and extended, and by the imaginative potential of the fantasy genre.