ALEXIS O’NEILL is the author of LOUD EMILY (Simon & Schuster), featured in Newsweek Magazine, THE RECESS QUEEN (Scholastic Press), a bully book which was on the Los Angeles Times list of Best Selling Children’s Books, and ESTELA'S SWAP (Lee & Low Books) a multicultural book about generosity and a unique California experience. Her work has also been published in Cricket, Spider, Cobblestone, Calliope, Faces, Writer’s Digest, Children’s Book Review Magazine and the Los Angeles Times. Alexis teaches writing for the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program. She is a Regional Advisor for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a founding member of the Children's Authors Network (CAN!). A former elementary school teacher, Alexis holds a B.S. from Skidmore College and an M.S. in Instructional Technology and Ph.D. in Teacher Education from Syracuse University.