Lynne Jonell is the author of the novels "Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat", "Emmy and the Home for Troubled Girls", and "The Secret of Zoom", as well as several critically acclaimed picture books. Her books have been named Junior Library Guild Selections and a Smithsonian Notable Book, among numerous other honors. Born in Little Falls, Minnesota, Jonell grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis. She now teaches writing at the Loft Literary Center and lives with her husband and two sons in Plymouth, Minnesota, in a house on a hill.