Biography | Photos of Johnnie | SWIM TEAM Cover | Awards & Accolades for SWIM TEAM

Johnnie Christmas is a #1 New York Times Best Selling graphic novelist. His 2022 middle grade graphic novel debut SWIM TEAM earned a spot on the National Book Awards longlist, a Coretta Scott King Award Illustrator Honor, a Barnes & Noble Children’s and YA Book Award nomination, and a Harvey Awards nomination. He’s currently hard at work on two new middle-grade graphic novels for the HarperAlley imprint of HarperCollins. Writer of the Image Comics sci-fi series TARTARUS and CREMA, a haunted romance published by Comixology. His book FIREBUG received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and it earned him a Joe Shuster Outstanding Cartoonist nomination. He’s perhaps best known for co-creating the series ANGEL CATBIRD with celebrated writer Margaret Atwood and adapting William Gibson’s lost screenplay for ALIEN 3 into a critically acclaimed graphic novel of the same name. His credits also include co-creating the pre-apocalyptic thriller SHELTERED. A graduate of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, earning a BFA in Communication Design/Illustration. Johnnie makes Vancouver, BC his home.

High Resolution Photos

Awards & Nominations
2023 Coretta Scott King Award Honor Illustrator
2022 National Book Award for Young People's Literature Longlist
2023 BCALA & SLJ Children & Young Adult Literary Award winner for Graphic Novel
2023 Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Award Young Reader nominee
2023 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids nominee
2022 Harvey Award for Best Children's or Young Adult Book nominee
2022-23 Yellowhammer Book Award Middle Grade winner
2023 National Council of Teachers of English's Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts Award
2023 Forest of Reading Silver Birch Fiction Award Honour Book #1
2022 Cybils Awards Finalist
2023 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Honor
2023 Children’s Book Council Favorites Award for Children’s 6th-8th Grade
2023 Children’s Book Council Librarian Favorites Award for Children’s 6th-8th Grade
2023 Children’s Book Council Teacher Favorites Award for Children’s 6th-8th Grade
2023 California State Library First Partner’s Summer Book Club selection
2024 Sakura Medal Middle School Nominee

State Nominations
2023-2024 Vermont Golden Dome Book Award Grade 4-8 Kids Choice nominee
2024 North Carolina Children’s Junior Book Award
2024-25 Louisiana Readers’ Choice Grades 6-8 nominee
2024 New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award Lizard Award nominee
2023-24 Black-Eyed Susan Award Graphic Novels Grades 3-5 nominee
2024 Nutmeg Book Award Middle School for Grades 7-8 nominee
2024 Maud Hart Lovelace Division II nominee
2024 Rhode Island Children's Book Award nominee
2023-24 Sunshine State Young Readers Award nominee
2024 Nēnē Award Graphic Novel Shortlist nominee (Hawai’i)
2023-24 Oregon Battle of the Books 3rd to 5th Grade Division selection

Best of Lists
Kirkus Reviews'  Best Middle Grade Books of 2022
CBC Books' best Canadian books for kids and young adults of 2022
Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth 2022
New York Public Library's Best Books of 2022
Chicago Public Library’s Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2022
King County Library's Best Children's Books of 2022
Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List 2023
Little Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List 2023
Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year 2023
Amazon's Best Books of May

Selections
Scripp’s National Spelling Bee's Book Shelf's Book of the Month
FOLD Kids Book of the Month
Bookopolis Book Pick
The Week Junior Book of the Week
ADL Education Monthly Featured Book for April 2023
ABA Kids Indie Next List selection for May/June
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Starred reviews from
★ Kirkus Reviews
★ Booklist
★ Publishers Weekly
★ School Library Journal