Elena de Roo

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Elena is a children's writer and poet from New Zealand's North Island. Her first picture book, The Rain Train (illustrated by Brian Lovelock), was published by Walker Books Australia in 2010. Ophelia Wild, Secret Spy, a junior fiction title told in verse (illustrated by Tracy Duncan) followed in 2012.

Elena was the recipient of the Todd New Writers' Burssary in 2010, which she used to write a collection of children's poems. The Rain Train was a Storylines notable picture book in 2011. She lives in Auckland with her family.

Author's Comment: Although I had always enjoyed reading, the first book that really swept me away into another world was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.

Nationality: New Zealand