Contact: treestreetkidsbooks@gmail.com
Official Tree Street Kids website: treestreetkids.com
Bio
Amanda Cleary Eastep is not related to Beverly Cleary but wishes she were. She is, however, a children’s author, and the Tree Street Kids is her middle grade series. In addition to being an award-winning children’s author, she is also a book editor who helps authors shape their books. She works in a cabin in the mountains of North Carolina, but she has lived most of her life in the suburbs of Chicago, the home of the Tree Street Kids. Amanda and her husband, together, have eight grown children and a border collie named Annie who wakes Amanda up early every morning to write.
Images
Sample Radio & Podcast Interviews
Chris Fabry LIVE — Fiction Friday: Youth Edition
Storyjumpers Podcast with Andrew Jackson — Excerpt from Lions to the Rescue! (book 3) & interview
Simply Stories podcast with Emily Humphries — Stories of Faith, Growing Up, and the Moral Imagination
Kurt and Kate Mornings, Moody Radio FL — Back to School interview
Ken and Deb Mornings, Moody Radio Quad Cities — Summer reading interview!
Taking the Leap with Rachel Scott, Family Edition — Taking the “shepherd’s leap” and writing for children
Isle of Misfits with Nancy Carmichael — Click here a fun discussion about kids’ books, ’90s sitcoms, literature analysis (no, really!), and how it all relates to God writing our stories.
Along Came a Writer with Linda Kozar — The Tree Street Kids books, “clean” fiction, tornados, and bullies
Sunday Night Live with Kim Weir — Click here to hear the interview
The Wednesday Bookmark with Care Baldwin, CHRI Radio, Ottawa — Click here to hear the interview
Awards
2023 Selah Award finalists, middle grade (8-12) category, Lions to the Rescue! and Mystery in Crooked Creek Woods
2023-24 Crown Award nominee, Jack vs. the Tornado
Good Book Mom, Special Book Award: Outstanding Faith-Based Realistic Fiction Series
Reviews
Plumfield Moms (Lions to the Rescue!)
“As always, Eastep’s writing is full of warmth and clarity. I’ve become a real admirer of her work, not only as an author but as an editor. The books she touches—whether her own or those published through Moody—consistently reflect excellent storytelling, beautiful language, and deeply rooted values.”
“It isn’t easy to find contemporary middle grade fiction about ordinary childhood that doesn’t sound like it was written to impress adults. Amanda Cleary Eastep, who writes from her own observations of her children’s experience and clearly enjoyed her research . . . nails it.”
“Beverly Cleary’s Ramona series and Paula Danziger’s Amber Brown books have long been favorites of mine, but it’s been a long time since I’ve read another children’s author whose writing style is just as charming – and I’ve found that in Amanda Cleary Eastep.”
“In this fast-paced, adventurous, and humorous novel for children ages 8-12, author Amanda Cleary Eastep effectively characterizes a young protagonist who is aware of God’s presence in his life, yet wonders why difficult things happen to him, as well as adults who are, refreshingly, nurturing and loving though flawed and imperfect.”
“This new series is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library collections for young readers.”
Amanda Cleary Eastep 