Ying Chang Compestine (2012)

Award-winning author, dynamic public speaker and world traveler, Ying Chang Compestine is the author of numerous books, including picture books, young adult novels, and cookbooks for adults that promote healthy eating. Drawing from her childhood experience and described as “Anne Frank in the Cultural Revolution,” Revolution is not a Dinner Party has received more than 30 awards, including the California Book Award, American Library Association’s Best Books and Notable Books and the San Francisco Chronicle Best Children’s Fiction Book.In A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts, Ying uses tantalizing recipes as a common thread to cook up a unique offering of eight compelling ghost stories. All the Chinese ghosts in these stories have as strong a desire for revenge as for delicious food.

Ying was born and raised in Wuhan, China. She came to the U.S. for graduate school. After both her parents passed away, she began writing to cope with her grief and to reconnect with China. Ying earned a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Colorado. Prior to writing, she taught sociology at colleges and universities in both the U.S. and China. Check out her website.