LAVANYA NAIDU is a children's book illustrator and animator, born and raised in Kolkata. A graduate of the National Institute of Design, she has worked on numerous children's books as well as animation projects. She currently lives in Melbourne and recently completed her role as the head of design on the animated kids series The Strange Chores (season 2) at 12field Animation. In her spare time, Lavanya enjoys collecting dinosaur models and befriending dogs.

"A chapter book and graphic novel hybrid, it's bursting with fantastical extraterrestrial life-forms."--The New York Times

"Epically fun! Overflowing with aliens, adventure, mystery, and adorable animal sidekicks!"--Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Kids on Earth

"The Area 51 Files has everything you could possibly want from a middle grade novel: inventive characters, witty banter, hilarious jokes, charming illustrations, amusing extraterrestrials, action, adventure, mystery--and a snarky hedgehog. It's funny, gripping, touching and all-around wonderful."--Stuart Gibbs, New York Times bestselling author of the Spy School series

"Filled with equal parts mystery and belly-laughs, The Area 51 Files delivers an alien invasion of out-of-this-world fun."--Gordon Korman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Restart

"Kids are going to love this unputdownable, extra-fun, extra-hilarious, extra-mysterious, extraterrestrial adventure."--Sarah Mlynowski, New York Times bestselling author of the Whatever After series and the Upside-Down Magic series

"Buxbaum's middle-grade debut is a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidu's black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose... Contagiously goofy and fun."--Kirkus Reviews

"Good-natured humor lands alongside imaginatively rendered extraterrestrials (including a living cubist representation), while quick pacing keeps things light. B&w illustrations by Naidu both illuminate and expand upon this tongue-in-cheek mystery adventure."--Publishers Weekly