Kurtis Scaletta's Site

I am the author of several novels for young readers including Mudville (2009), Mamba Point (2010), The Tanglewood Terror (2011), The Winter of the Robots (2013), Rooting for Rafael Rosales (2017) and Lukezilla Beats the Game (2020). I am also the author of the Topps League series (illustrated by Eric Wight and Ethen Beavers) and biographies of Jackie Robinson and Lin-Manuel Miranda. More about those books under My Books.

My first picture book, Granny Rex, will be released in 2023 from Cameron Kids, illustrated by Nik Henderson.

I was born in Louisiana, but moved a lot as a kid. I lived in five states and three foreign countries before I graduated from high school! The most interesting place I lived was Monrovia, Liberia, which inspired my second novel. Moving made me an avid reader, because books were the friends I could take with me from place to place. I attended the University of North Dakota and the University of Maine before moving to Minneapolis.

I now live with my wife, Angela; my son, Byron, and five cats. We recently adopted a kitten and then got him another kitten to play with. Their names are Jack and Shadow. Aren’t they cute?

In addition to writing I teach an occasional class, and write book reviews and essays. I am a Twins fan (which isn’t easy these days), an avid reader across multiple genres, a crossword and jigsaw enthusiast, an occasional roller-skater, a clumsy but determined drawer, a long-distance runner, a frequent maker of soup, and am mildly obsessed with the Legend of Zelda video game series, which I often play and re-play with my son. (Our favorite is Majora’s Mask).

Smashtown Frenzy is a fictional game in my novel Lukezilla Beats the Game. It has elements of Fortnite, Defense of the Ancients, and Pokémon.

I have a “day job” in learning technology. I’ve developed, delivered, and managed online classes for as long as they’ve been around. Before that I developed training materials delivered on CD ROMs.

You can find out more about me in the Q&A section, and consider asking a question yourself.

Here is how to contact me.