• Cecil Castellucci •
“I’m a card-carrying sci-fi geek and proud of it,” Cecil
Beige
HC: ISBN: 978-0-7636-3066-9
• Behind the Scenes with Candlewick Authors & Illustrators •
Castellucci proclaims. The lead player in her debut novel,
Boy Proof, would probably say the same thing. Victoria Jurgen, aka Egg, is an antisocial
cinephile who meets up with the worldly new guy at school — a quick-witted artist who’s
savvy enough to see through her sci-fi disguise. Both Cecil Castellucci and Egg have a
passion for the creativity and imagination that are the hallmarks of science fiction.
The author’s creativity goes all the way back to her childhood years growing up in New
York. She wrote her first story at the age of five. It was one paragraph long, and every word
was misspelled. Later she attended the LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts,
where she studied theater, wore vintage clothes, watched a lot of old black-and-white
movies, and saw numerous Broadway plays.
From there, the talents of Boy Proof’s creator only continued to grow. Cecil Castellucci’s
second young adult novel, The Queen of Cool, was published in 2006. “Sometimes I feel cool
and other times I feel like the biggest loser ever,” the author admits. “So I started wondering,
what would happen if everything you always thought was cool was suddenly lame? What
would happen to you, if you were all of a sudden uncool? And what exactly is ‘cool,’ anyway?
The Queen of Cool came out of a desire to figure it all out.” Most recently, Cecil Castellucci
published her third young adult novel, Beige. She says, “When I first moved to Los Angeles
from Montreal, everyone was So-Cal Punk crazy and I felt so . . . beige. I wondered what it
would be like to grow up around adults that cool, especially if you were plopped into that
scene when it wasn’t yours.”
Not only is Cecil Castellucci a writer; she is also a filmmaker who just completed her
first independent feature film and is co-founder of the short-film club Alpha 60, which
is dedicated to creative endeavors in film. She can be seen acting in her own and others’
performance pieces and plays. She is also known as a singer-songwriter under the pseudonym
Cecil Seaskull and was the lead Nerd in the band Nerdy Girl.
So what more should you know about this imaginative artist? Here are a few fun facts:
1. She waited in line for six weeks in a tent on Hollywood Boulevard, in front of the Mann’s
Chinese Theatre, for tickets to Star Wars: Episode One.
2. Oriental poppies are her favorite flower.
3. Pomegranates are her favorite fruit.
4. She loves looking up at the night sky (bring on the comets, eclipses, and planetary
alignments!).
5. Her feet are very tiny and she has been known to walk with only one high heel shoe on
(à la Cinderella).
6. She’d like to walk across America one day (but not in high heels).
7. Cafés are her favorite places for watching people (and causing trouble).
8. She likes to go to rock shows (especially when she gets in for free).
9. She speaks fluent French.
10. She knows how to do old-time radio sound effects.
Currently, Cecil Castellucci lives in Los Angeles, in the “belly of the beast” known as
Hollywood.
Contact: Tracy Miracle, 617-588-4404, tracy.miracle@candlewick.com
 Praise for Boy Proof
A Book Sense Children’s Pick H “Egg’s stripped-down, laser-like observations are
An American Library Association funny, moving, and at times poetic, creating a fresh
Best Book for Young Adults voice that will be immediately appealing to readers.
An American Library Association Quick Pick This is an affirming story about a girl waking up
to her true potential.” — Bulletin of the Center for
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age Children’s Books (starred review)

H “Castellucci effortlessly paints a picture of Hollywood
as a setting that shapes her characters as much as
they shape it. Egg’s journey to shed her trappings
and to confidently inhabit her own character is one
readers won’t want to miss.” 
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Boy Proof
HC: ISBN: 978-0-7636-2333-3
PB: ISBN: 978-0-7636-2796-6
“This novel’s clipped, funny, first-person, present-
tense narrative will grab teens with its romance and
the screwball special effects, and with the story of an
outsider’s struggle both to belong and to be true to
herself.” — Booklist
“An unusual, successful, appealing effort from first-time
novelist Castellucci.” — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Queen of Cool

“Will draw even reluctant readers, and the satisfying
ending wraps up all the loose ends. Castellucci clearly
knows what goes on in the lives of many teens. This
novel should be as popular as her Boy Proof.”
— School Library Journal
“Engaging first-person narrative. . . . Libby’s
observations are sharp and convincing, whether she’s
studying elephants, chimpanzees, or that lower life
form known as the popular crowd.” — The Horn Book

“Relayed in Libby’s lively, intimate voice, this story is a

quick, engaging read about a selfish teen who discovers
not only herself but also the difference between being
part of a team and being part of a group.” — Booklist

The Queen of Cool

HC: ISBN: 978-0-7636-2720-1
PB: ISBN: 978-0-7636-3413-1

Praise for Beige

“Castellucci gives a fresh spin to the familiar exiled-
teen plot by mixing details of the L.A. punk scene with
memorable characters and witty dialogue.” — Booklist
“Castellucci has rendered Katy as a believable
character, and teens will sympathize with her as she
finally starts to reveal her true feelings.” — Publishers
Weekly
“Polite, Canadian Katy provides a comedic contrast to
the world of punk rock, and popular author Castellucci
gives her heroine an enjoyable, readable voice.”
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“An entertaining coming-of-age tale, filled with punk
rock atmosphere.” —Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“Leave it to Cecil Castellucci to create a true-to-life

L.A. punk scene. This is a unique, quirky, and honest
look at a world where unsung heroes can let it out.”
— Melissa Auf der Maur, formerly of Hole/Smashing
Pumpkins
Beige
HC: ISBN: 978-0-7636-3066-9