Liesa Abrams

Liesa Abrams edits middle grade and young adult novels with a particular focus on accessible middle grade fantasy. She has launched multiple bestsellers from debut authors including Rachel Renee Russell’s Dork Diaries and Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities in middle grade, and Tracy Deonn’s YA novel Legendborn. Titles she’s edited have earned awards such as the California Young Reader Medal, Sydney Taylor Honor, Michael L. Printz honor, and Corretta Scott King John Steptoe award. For Labyrinth Road’s middle grade list, Liesa is looking for series rooted in the immediacy of characters’ emotions and relationships and how those dynamics drive higher-stakes story. She’s always hungry for a new soap opera for kids and can never edit enough books about dragons. On the young adult side, Liesa is drawn to books that touch on themes of grief, identity, mental health, and sexuality.