is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over 15 books for children, teens and adults, including the Front Desk series (Front Desk, Three Keys, Room to Dream, Key Player, Top Story, and Chef’s Secret), New From Here, Finally Seen, Finally Heard, young adult novels  Parachutes and Private Label, adult novel The Take, as well as the picture books Yes We Will: Asian Americans Who Shaped This Country and Little Bird Laila.

        Based on Kelly’s childhood experience living and working in a motel as a first-generation immigrant child from China, her debut novel Front Desk was named "one of the best books of the 21st century" by Kirkus Reviews. Her books have earned multiple awards, including the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, the California Young Reader Medal, the Parents’ Choice Gold Medal, the Strega Prize for literature in Italy, and have featured on multiple best of the year lists, including Amazon Best Book of the Year, Washington Post Best Book of the Year, Kirkus Best Book of the Year, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, NPR Best Book of the Year, and Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year.

        Kelly immigrated to the United States when she was six years old and grew up in Southern California. She went to university at the age of 13 and law school at the age of 17. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard Law School. After graduating from Harvard Law School, she decided to give up law and pursue teaching and writing. Kelly is the founder of The Kelly Yang Project in Hong Kong, the leading writing and debating program for kids in Asia. She’s written op-eds for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. In addition to being a novelist, she is also a screenwriter. She has written screenplays and television pilots for Netflix, CBS Studios, and the CW. In 2023, she served as the Honorary Chair of the American Library Association for National Library Week. She is the co-host of the podcast StoryKind with Kate DiCamillo. Today, she and her family live in Los Angeles.