Matt de la Peña is the #1 New York Times bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning author of five picture books including Last Stop on Market Street, Love, and the upcoming Carmela Full of Wishes, as well as six critically acclaimed young adult novels. In 2016, he was awarded the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Award. He received his MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University and his BA from the University of the Pacific, where he attended school on a full athletic scholarship for basketball. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his family.