Vermont writer Christy Mihaly writes for young readers because she believes that our best hope for the future is raising kids who love to read. Her 2020 book, “Free for You and Me: What Our First Amendment Means” (Albert Whitman Co.) celebrates our First Amendment freedoms with poems and stories – including that of Vermont patriot Matthew Lyon.

Christy’s other books include the YA nonfiction “Diet for a Changing Climate: Food for Thought,” co-written with Sue Heavenrich (Lerner/TFCB, 2018); and the picture book Hey, Hey, Hay! (A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them) (Holiday House, 2018), a Bank Street Best Book of the Year. A former lawyer, Christy has written more than 20 children’s nonfiction titles on topics from free speech to food to fashion. She also writes articles, stories and poetry, and enjoys walking her dog in the woods and playing the cello (though not simultaneously).