Awards
Indiana University Keisler Prize for Poetry
Arizona Library Association Young Readers’ Award
Beehive Book Award
Buckeye Book Award
Maud Hart Lovelace Award
The Maryland Library Association Maryland Author Award
Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artist Award
Heekin Foundation Fellowship for Novel in Progress
SCBWI National Magazine Merit Award
Grants and Honors
SCBWI Nonfiction Book Grant
Washington Performing Arts Society Arts in Schools Grants
Target Arts-in-Education grant
The Washington Post Grant in the Arts
Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County, MD, Visiting Artist Grant
Highest Quality Titles selection, New England Children’s Bookselling Advisory Council (2000)
Bank Street College of Education (2007), Best Children’s Book (Humor)
Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice selection
Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended selection (2009)
Nonfiction, Poetry, Essays, Short Fiction
POETRY, VIDEO POETRY, AND FLASH FICTION
“You Will Know Us By Our Art”: an ekphrastic poem published in Viewless Wings 2022 (in pdf form)
“Hello Girls” poem, Sheepshead Review, 2022.
“Morning Rush–Metro” poem in HeartWood Literary Magazine, Fall 2022 (in PDF form)Mary Amato’s
“By the Cover,” Cicada, March/April, 1999.
“Things That Go,” Mothering, Summer, 1997.
“Grocery Store Flowers,” Mothering, Spring, 1996.
“Kongo Mask,” New Poets Review, 1983.
New Jersey Theatre Alliance, Healing Voices: Caregivers’ Stories
Flashfiction: The Cakes She Promised to Bake, in 100 Word Story (in pdf form)
Unsung Hero audio piece produced by Hidden Brain.
MontclairFilm StorySlam award-winning story performance, 2022.
“I’m Always Trying to Fill”, video poem, New Note Poetry, 2022
“Fifth Grade Epiphany” video poem, Columbia University’s Spirituality in Education blog.
“And the Moon Glows Like This at the Library”, Columbia University’s Spirituality in Education blog.
Monologue performed in NJ Theater Alliance Healing Voices, 2024
ESSAYS
“The Appeal of the Mentor Archetype”, Teen Librarian Toolbox, 2023, (pdf).
“Teen Diaries and A Visit to the Anne Frank House”, Teen Librarian Toolbox (pdf )
“Listening to Old Ghosts: The Influence of Wilder and Masters in Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery”, Teen Librarian Toolbox (pdf).
“Bring the Power of Music Into Your Library”, Teen Librarian Toolbox ( pdf).
“Researching the Westminster Cemetery for Open Mic Night in Westminster Cemetery”, Carolrhoda Lab’s blog (pdf ).
“Performing in an Open Mic”, B&N Teen Blog, September 2018, (pdf).
“Kidlit Characters Who Break Into Song,” a blog post for Mr. Schu Reads (pdf).
“Embracing Silliness”, E. Kristin Anderson Blog
“Songwriting with Kids”, Reading Rockets.
“Tiny Triumphs: Ukes in Libraries”, ALA’s ALSC blog.
Thanks From the Heart, essay in pdf form, The Washington Post, Feb, 1999.
“Confessions of a Seventh-Grade Cheat,” Learning, October, 1995.
“Be Yourself,” Learning, September, 1995.
“Voice Lessons,” Teacher, October, 1994.
“The Ritual of Resolutions,” Plexus, January, 1988.
“Miss Misses by a Mile,” New Directions for Women, July/Aug, 1988.
“A Fiction Writer Tells the Truth,” Columbia Univ Spirituality in Education, ( pdf )
ANTHOLOGY
CLASSROOM CRUSADERS; Chapter titled, “Listen to the Children,” Jossey-Bass, 1994.
ARTICLES
Kidspost Article about Songwriting, The Washington Post ( pdf )
“Songwriting in Character”, Luna ( pdf )
“The Family Band”, Luna ( pdf )
“Songs Sweet and Simple,” Mothering, Sept, 2000.
“Linking the Body and Spirit,” The Washington Post, February, 1999.
“The Magic of Masks,” Muse, April 1999.
“Making and Using Masks with Kids,” Mothering, May-June, 1999.
“Can this Baby be Soothed?” Child, April, 1997.
“Weaving Gifts of Words,” The Washington Post, 1995.
“The Back to Basics Block,” Mothering, Summer, 1995.
“Independence Days,” Parenting, November 1994.
“Bell Epoch,” The Learning Channel Monthly, November, 1994.
“Now Hear This,” The Learning Channel Monthly, December, 1994.
“Kosher for Passover,” Washington Post, April, 5, 1993.
“Dear Diary,” The Washington Post, 1993.
“Making All the Right Moves,” The Washington Post, 1993.
“Bubbles, Bubbles, Everywhere,” The Washington Post, 1993.
“Your Child’s Education Rights,” Child, November, 1993.
“Tinker Time,” Parenting, June, 1993.
“Of Sheaths, Capes, and Letters,” Reaction Times, October, 1992.
“Back Home In Indiana,” Teacher Magazine, September, 1992.
“Friendly Persuasion,” Teacher Magazine, April, 1991.
“The Power to be a Professional,” Teacher Magazine, August, 1991.
“Expertise for Sale, Teacher Magazine, September, 1991.
“Getting Published,” Teacher Magazine, March, 1991.
“Listen to the Children,” Teacher Magazine, September, 1991.
“Going, Going, Gone,” Teacher Magazine, May, 1991.
“A School of Their Own,” Teacher Magazine, February, 1991.
“Partners in Science,” Teacher Magazine, March, 1991.
“Rebirth,” Teacher Magazine, October, 1991.
“A Tale of Two Teachers,” Teacher Magazine, August, 1990
“Fighting the Power,” Teacher Magazine, June, 1990.
“The Ultimate Homework,” Teacher Magazine, February, 1990.
“All the World’s Your Classroom,” Teacher Magazine, February, 1990.
“Telling Tales in School,” Teacher Magazine, February, 1990.
“Not for Class Clowns Only,” Teacher Magazine, June, 1990.
“The Hidden Hazards of Art,” Teacher Magazine, May, 1990.
“Getting Spoiled in the Big Apple,” Teacher Magazine, September, 1990.
“It was a Testing Ground,” Teacher Magazine, April, 1990.
“How to Avoid being Trapped in License Hell,”Teacher Magazine, April, 1990.
“Learning by the Block,” Teacher Magazine, December, 1989.
“From Zingy Homemade Mustard,” Washington Post, 1989.
“Catholic Women Challenge Church,” New Directions for Women, May/June, 1989.
“Minerva’s News for Military Women,” Washington Journalism Review, June, 1989.
“Can GI Josie be Good for Women?” New Directions for Women, March/April, 1989.
“New Life for Parental Leave,” Teacher Magazine, September, 1989.
“From Calculus to Curtain Calls,” Teacher Magazine, September, 1989.
“Writing Without Rules: Encouraging Journal-Writing,” Our Kids, Nov, 1989.
“Solving Problems of Inequality in Math,” Feminist Teacher, Vol 3 No 3.
“Paid to Play: The Ballet Accompanist,” Clavier, March, 1988.
“Science A La Mud,” Mothering, Spring, 1988.
“Pro-Church…Pro-Choice…No Conflict,” New Directions for Women, Sept/Oct, 1988.
“Workshop Prepares for Discriminatory Employers,” Woman’s Newspaper, Oct, 1988.
“A News Service for Teens,” Washington Journalism Review, December, 1988.
“Ditching the Itch with Garlic,” New Directions for Women, Jan, 1988.
“Give me an Estimate,” San Francisco Children’s News, December, 1987.
“Witness to Terror in Guatemala,” Plexus, October, 1987.
THEATER/DANCE REVIEWS
“Best of Breed,” The Review, 1989.
“Fire of Flamenco,”The Review, 1989.
“Winter and the Ballet Blahs,” The Review, 1989.
“American Ballet Theater,” The Review, 1989.
“Urban Heat,”The Review, 1989.
“French Embassy: Performance Festival,” The Review, 1989.
“A Celebration of Hands,” The Review, 1989.
“A Lively Unbound Spirit,” Plexus, July, 1987.
“Contemporary Message in the Bacchae,” Plexus, July, 1987.
“First Date with New Age Man,” Plexus, August, 1987.
“Playing with Ambition,” Plexus, August, 1987.
“Making Sense of Monologues,” Metier, Fall, 1987.
Audio
Mary Amato’s Poetry for Adults audio format on Soundcloud
The Creativity Letters
The Chicken of the Family Collection
Traveling Tales
Good Crooks Book Four
ART
“Death Pose”, Lumina, 2025.
“Catch, Check, Change”, Healing Muse, Vol 24.
“Insomnia”, Healing Muse, Vol 24.
“Ghosts” Blue Mesa Review, Summer 2024.
“The Shadow Self”, Quarter Press, Spring 2024.
“Swept”, Stonecrop Magazine, Spring 2024.
“After the Loss”, chalk pastel, Peatsmoke Journal, Fall 2023.
“Arrows,” Pulse Magazine, Fall 2023.
“I’m Always Trying to Fill”, a video art poem, New Note Poetry, 2022
“Fifth Grade Epiphany”, video art poem, Columbia University’s Spirituality in Education blog.
“And the Moon Glows Like This at the Library” video art poem, Columbia University’s Spirituality in Education blog.
“Letting Go”, video art, SoFloPoJo
Books For Children and Young Adults
Picture Books
The Chicken of the Family, G.P. Putnam, 2008
Perfect Partners, Reycraft Books, 2022
Chapter Books and Novels For Elementary School Age
The Word Eater, Holiday House, 2000
The Naked Mole-Rat Letters, Holiday House, 2005
Please Write in This Book, Holiday House, 2006
Invisible Lines, Egmont USA, 2009
Edgar Allan’s Official Crime Investigation Notebook, Holiday House, 2010
Our Teacher Is a Vampire and Other (Not) True Stories, Holiday House, 2016
Series Chapter Books
The Good Crooks Books
Missing Monkey!, Egmont USA, 2014, Darby Creek 2015
Dog Gone!, Egmont USA, 2014, Darby Creek 2015
Sniff a Skunk!, Egmont USA, 2015, Darby Creek 2015
Quackily Ever After (audiobook release only), 2020
The Riot Brothers Books
Snarf Attack, Underfoodle, and the Secret of Life: The Riot Brothers Tell All, Holiday House, 2004, 2019
Drooling and Dangerous: The Riot Brothers Return!, Holiday House, 2006, 2017
Stinky and Successful: The Riot Brothers Never Stop, Holiday House, 2007, 2017
Take the Mummy and Run: The Riot Brothers Are on a Roll, Holiday House, 2009, 2017
Lucy McGee Books
News from Me, Lucy McGee, Holiday House, 2018
Sing with Me, Lucy McGee, Holiday House, 2019
Lucky Me, Lucy McGee, Holiday House, 2020
A Star on TV, Lucy McGee, Holiday House, 2020
Star Striker Series
Game On, Holiday House, 2021
Touch and Go, Holiday House, 2022
The Final Goal, Holiday House, 2023
YOUNG-ADULT NOVELS
Guitar Notes, Egmont USA, 2012; edition Carolrhoda Lab
Get Happy, Egmont USA, 2014; edition Carolrhoda Lab
Open Mic Night at Westminster Cemetery, Carolrhoda Lab, 2018.
Book-by-Book Awards and Honors:
THE CHICKEN OF THE FAMILY, Putnam, 2008
Award
- Winner of Buckeye Award (Ohio) 2010
State Award Nominations
- Red Clover Book Award (Vermont) 2009-2010
- Great Lakes Great Books (Michigan) 2009-2010
- Beehive (Utah) Book Award 2009-2010
Starred Reviews & Honors
- Publishers Weekly Starred Review
- Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice, 2009
- Read on Wisconsin! Book Club Choice Summer, 2009
- Selected for Society of Illustrator’s Original Art Show, 2008
- Starred review Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
- Dollywood’s Imagination Library program selection
- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Starred Review
- Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Choice, 2008
- Charlotte Zolotow Award Committee’s Highly Commended title, 2009
- The Chicken of the Family Musical, co-written by Mary Amato and Richard Washer was produced by Charter Theater in Arlington, VA and by the Jefferson City, MO, library
License Deals
- Junior Library Guild Choice
Foreign Sales
- Korean Edition, JDM Joongang, 2009
THE NAKED MOLE-RAT LETTERS, Holiday House, 2005
State Award Nominations
- Mark Twain (MO) 2008
- William Allen White (KS)2008
- Sequoyah (OK) 2008
- Charlotte (NY) 2008
- Land of Enchantment (NM) 2008
- Rebecca Caudill (IL) 2010
License Deals
- Scholastic Book Club paperback edition.
- e-book edition
Foreign Sales
- German edition (DTV Junior, 2007) Lugenmails und Liebesbriefe
- Japanese edition (Tokuma Shoten, 2011)
- BFC/Tupera Tupera
THE WORD EATER, Holiday House, 2000
Award
- The Grand Canyon (AZ) Reader Award, 2004
State Award Nominations
- Maud Hart Lovelace (MN) 2007
- Sasquatch (WA) Book Award 2003
- Sunshine State Award (FL) 2004
- Land of Enchantment (NM) 2003
License Deals
- Scholastic Book Club paperback edition
- Bookroo Branded Book Club edition, 2022
Foreign Sales
- Korean editions, Design House, 2001
- JDM Joongang,2008
EDGAR ALLAN’S OFFICIAL NOTEBOOK, Holiday House, 2010
State Award Nominations
- Bluestem Award (IL) 2014
- Sunshine State Award (FL) 2012-2013
- Tennessee Volunteer State Award (TN) 2012-2013
License Deals
- Scholastic Book Club edition 2011
INVISIBLE LINES, Egmont USA, 2009; Carolrhoda Books, 2015
State Award Nominations
- California Young Readers Award 2012-2013
- Truman (Missouri) Book Award 2011-2012
Foreign Sales
- German Edition, Carlsen, 2012: Das Konigsreich der Pilze
- Korean Edition, Kookmin Books, 2013
PLEASE WRITE IN THIS BOOK, Holiday House, 2006
Award
- Maud Hart Lovelace (MN) Award Winner 2011-2012
Starred Reviews and Honors
- Children’s Choices (IRA and CBC) for 2007
- Book of the Month Club edition, 2007
- November pick for Read On! Wisconsin http://readon.wi.gov/
SNARF ATTACK, Holiday House, 2004
State Award Nominations
- Sequoyah Book Award (OK) 2008
- Sasquatch Book Award (WA) 2008
Starred Reviews and Honors
- Pick of the Decade for 4th grade, NJ State Library
License Deals
- Scholastic Book Club paperback edition
- Optioned by Muddy Girl Productions for TV pitch, 2007-8
Foreign Sales
- Turkish edition, Epsilon, 2019
- Lithuanian edition, Alma Littera, 201, Knygu Klubas
- Korean edition, JDM Joongang, 2008
- Danish edition, Gyldendal, 2010
DROOLING AND DANGEROUS, Holiday House, 2006
Award
KC 3 Reading Award sponsored by the Greater Kansas City Association of School Librarians 2008-2009
Starred Reviews and Honors
- Bank Street Children’s Book Committee Best Children’s Book of 2007 in humor category for ages 5-9
- Children’s Choices (IRA and CBC) for 2007 Drooling and Dangerous
License Deals
- Optioned by Muddy Girl Productions for TV pitch, 2007-8
Foreign Sales
- Turkish edition, Epsilon, 2019
- Lithuanian edition, Alma Littera, 2018
- Korean edition, JDM Joongang, 2008
- Danish edition, Gyldendal, 2010
STINKY AND SUCCESSFUL, Holiday House, 2007
Award
- Missouri KC3 Book Award Winner 2009-2010
License Deals
- Optioned by Muddy Girl Productions for TV pitch, 2007-8
Foreign Sales
- Danish edition, Gyldendal, 2010
- Korean edition, JDM Joongang, 2009
- Turkish edition, Epsilon, 2019
- Lithuanian edition, Alma Littera, 2018
TAKE THE MUMMY AND RUN, Holiday House, 2009
License Deals
- Optioned by Muddy Girl Productions for TV pitch, 2007-8
Foreign Sales
- Danish edition, Gyldendal, 2010
- Korean edition, JDM Joongang, 2009
- Turkish edition, Epsilon, 2019
- Lithuanian edition, Alma Littera, 2018
GUITAR NOTES, Egmont USA, 2012; Carolrhoda Lab, 2015
Award
- Beehive Book Award
State Award Nomination
- Kentucky Bluegrass Award 2014
- Connecticut Nutmeg Award 2015
- Utah Beehive Book Award 2014-2015
- South Carolina Junior Book Award 2014-2015
- Indiana Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award 2017-18
License Deals
- Scholastic Book club and fairs edition
Foreign Sales
- French edition, Nathan, 2013 Une Guitare Pour Deux
- German edition, DTV Pocket, Playlist Fur Zwei
- Indonesian edition, NouraBooks, 2013
GET HAPPY, First Edition Egmont USA, 2014; Carolrhoda Lab, 2015
License Deals
- Scholastic Book club and fairs edition
Good Crooks Book One: MISSING MONKEY, Egmont USA, 2014; Darby Creek, 2015
License Deals
- Scholastic Book club and fairs edition
- Book of the Month club selection
Good Crooks Book Two: DOG GONE, Egmont USA, 2014; Darby Creek, 2015
License Deals
- Scholastic Book club and fairs edition
- Book of the Month club selection
OUR TEACHER IS A VAMPIRE AND OTHER (NOT) TRUE STORIES, Holiday House, 2016
- Children’s Book of the Month Club selection