Graci Kim is a diplomat turned award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of children’s fantasy books
Graci Kim is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of the Gifted Clans series (The Last Fallen Star, The Last Fallen Moon, and The Last Fallen Realm), and her new #1 bestselling Slinger series (Dreamslinger, Royalslinger coming 2026). Her books are published around the world, have been translated into multiple languages, and have been optioned for film and television.
Inspired by Korean mythology and culture, Graci weaves stories that are full of adventure and hope, that are always sprinkled with a healthy dose of magic. She is also a sought-after public speaker, having inspired many audiences across the world, whether on the TEDx stage, in schools, for corporates, or on international festival stages.
In a previous life, Graci was a New Zealand diplomat, a cooking show host, and once ran a business that turned children’s drawings into cuddly toys. A proud Korean Kiwi, she now lives with her husband and daughter in Aotearoa New Zealand. You can join her newsletter, follow her on Instagram, or write her a letter at gracikim.com.
THE LONGER VERSION:
Graci Kim is the diplomat turned award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of The Last Fallen Star, The Last Fallen Moon, and The Last Fallen Realm (aka the Gifted Clans series). Featured in TIME Magazine for Kids, and dubbed a “sparkling yarn” by Entertainment Weekly, the Korean mythology-inspired trilogy is being translated into multiple languages.
The Last Fallen Star was named a 2021 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Children’s Book, an Amazon Best Book, an Indigo Best Book, a Barnes & Noble Young Reader Pick, and a Whitcoulls’ Kids Top 50. In 2022, Graci was awarded the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best New Talent.
The first book in her new series, Dreamslinger, was released in April 2025, and was chosen as an Amazon Editor’s Best Children’s Book of the Year, a Barnes & Noble Best Kids’ Book of April 2025, a School Library Journal Best Book of 2025, a Storylines Notable Book Award recipient, and was a #1 bestseller for Aotearoa New Zealand Children’s and YA Books for 4 consecutive weeks. The sequel in the Slinger series, Royalslinger, will be published in July 2026.
Inspired by Korean mythology and culture, Graci weaves stories that are full of adventure and hope, that are always sprinkled with a healthy dose of magic. She is also a sought-after public speaker, having inspired many audiences across the world, whether on the TEDx stage, in schools, for corporates, or on international festival stages.
In a previous life, Graci was a New Zealand diplomat, a cooking show host, and once ran a business that turned children’s drawings into cuddly toys. She now lives in Aotearoa New Zealand with her husband and daughter. You can join her newsletter, follow her on Instagram, or write her a letter at gracikim.com.
Slinger Series
If X-Men met Pokémon, and was set at a Korean magic school. Perfect for fans of Amari and the Night Brothers, Nevermoor, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.
Ideal for readers aged 8-13 years, and grown-up kids too.
Book 1: Dreamslinger
US cover of Dreamslinger
UK/Aus/NZ cover of Dreamslinger
Dare to enter the Trials…
Fourteen-year-old Aria Loveridge lives at the Resthaven Home for Dreamslingers, a safe haven for children born with a genetic mutation that transports them to a magical realm while they sleep.
When the Kingdom of Royal Hanguk—home of the Dreamslinger League—announces the first Slinger Trials where teenagers from around the world are invited to compete for a chance to join the League, Aria knows what she must do: Join the Trials and take down the League from the inside. After all, they’re the ones who killed her mom.
But first, she’ll need to survive the Trials…
Book 2: ROYALSLINGER is coming July 2026!
Gifted Clans series
Korean mythology in modern-day America, perfect for fans of Percy Jackson. Fast-paced adventure full of magic, humour, and heart.
Ideal for readers aged 8-12 years, and grown-up kids too.
Book 1: The Last Fallen Star
A New York Times bestseller
An instant indie bestseller
Book 2: The Last Fallen Moon
The adventure continues in the second book in the series
Book 3: The Last Fallen Realm
The finale to the Gifted Clans trilogy OUT NOW!
Five Fast Facts
I ran away with the circus when I was 16 years old because I fell in love with a Colombian tightrope walker. True story. (Please don’t tell my mum!)
One of my favourite things ever is the feeling of freshly cut fingernails. Yes, I’m weird. But it just feels so satisfying…
New Zealand is home, but I have also lived in South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and China. Did you know that if you dig a hole in NZ, you’d come out the other side in Spain?
I am scared of big waves. The kind you find in the ocean, not in your hair. I’m also deeply afraid of turbulence on planes.
I wrote my first story when I was 11 years old. It was called ‘The Multicoloured Club’ and it was basically a mash-up of The Spice Girls and The Babysitters’ Club. Good times.
Graci’s TEDx Talk
Okay, I lied about there being five.
Here’s a sixth fact: I used to have a pen name. And for all the wrong reasons.
Here’s a TEDx talk I did about how I got rid of my pen name, and learned to embrace my Korean heritage.
If you don’t want to watch the video, you can read the transcript here!
Want to invite Graci to speak?
Virtual School Visits (for US/overseas)
If you’re a school in the US or anywhere else in the world, and you’d like Graci to give a virtual talk to your students, she is currently open to bookings for April-May 2026. Please email her for more details.
In-Person School Visits in NZ
If you’re a school in Auckland or the rest of New Zealand, and you’d like Graci to give an in-person talk to your students, she is currently open to bookings for Term 3, 2026. Please email her for more details.
Corporate Speaker Requests
If your company would value a boost of employee inspiration, you can bring Graci to speak at your firm’s strategic planning day, team building day, lunchtime seminar, or employee wellbeing session. Talk topics can be tailored, but can centre around Storytelling, Resilience, and Creative Problem Solving: Lessons from a Diplomat turned New York Times Bestselling Author. Please email her for more details.
For all other requests, please email Graci directly!
Do a masterclass with Graci?
Do you want to know how New York Times bestselling author Graci Kim takes a seed of an idea and develops it into a compelling and bestselling middle grade novel?
Do you want to know how to revise, pitch, query, and market your middle grade novel?
Do you want Graci to give her personal feedback on the first 50 pages of your manuscript or your query package?
If you fill out the form, Graci will notify you when her online courses go live. And she may even send you a special discount code for being an early supporter!