Shannon Hale

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-08-27

Shannon Hale, born Shannon Bryner on January 26, 1974, in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the middle child of five siblings and began writing fantasy stories at age ten. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1998 and a master's degree in creative writing from the University of Montana, and served an eighteen-month LDS mission in Paraguay. Her debut novel, The Goose Girl, was rejected nine times before Bloomsbury Publishing accepted it in 2003, launching the Books of Bayern series. She followed with Princess Academy (2005), which received a Newbery Honor, and Austenland (2007), adapted into a 2013 film starring Keri Russell. With her husband, Dean Hale, she has co-authored the graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge, the Princess in Black chapter-book series, and several Marvel tie-in novels, and she has also produced the Real Friends graphic memoir series with illustrator LeUyen Pham. Hale's honors include a Newbery Honor, the Josette Frank Award, and multiple Cybils, Whitney, and AML Awards spanning young-adult fiction, graphic novels, and picture books. She is married to Dean Hale, with whom she has four children, and is an outspoken advocate for gender equality in children's book marketing.

Universe(s)

Books

• The Goose Girl (2003) · The Books of Bayern Core Canon
• Enna Burning (2004) · The Books of Bayern Core Canon
• River Secrets (2006) · The Books of Bayern Core Canon
• Forest Born (2009) · The Books of Bayern Core Canon

Aggregate across all universes

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 4 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 2 (1 won, 1 finalist mention)

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