Illustration of a ladybug flying from the book Ladybug Launch by Melissa Trempe.

Author | Educator | Speaker

Offering author visits to schools in PA, NY, NJ, MD, DE, & VA.

A woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes smiling at the camera, sitting in a room with bookshelves filled with books behind her, and a pile of books in front of her.

Writing picture books kids & parents will love.

Melissa Trempe loves sharing incredible, true stories with children! She has presented at countless schools, The Smithsonian Air & Space Museums in D.C. and Virginia, The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, and on Science Friday. When she isn’t busy researching or writing, she loves connecting with readers through author visits, speaking at conferences, providing critique services for fellow writers, and volunteering for SCBWI Eastern PA region. Melissa hopes to make this world a better place one book at a time.

Photo by Dayley Photography

Cover of a children's book titled 'The Girl Who Dreamed of Space,' by author Melissa Trempe, featuring a young girl holding a bag, surrounded by illustrations of various spacecraft and a space background.

Her upcoming release, The Girl Who Dreamed of Space: The Story of Eileen Collins, NASA’s First Female Pilot and Commander (Sourcebooks eXplore), tells the story of a quiet girl with a big dream: to fly. Growing up with limited means and struggling to find her voice, Eileen never imagined she would one day make history. But through focus, courage, and fierce determination, Eileen rose above expectations to reach a dream few thought was possible.

At its heart, this story reminds us that dreams don’t have to begin with perfect circumstances, they simply have to begin with belief. No matter who you are or where you start, you are capable and your dreams are worth pursuing. Because sometimes, the most ordinary kids go on to achieve the most extraordinary dreams.

A children's book titled 'Ladybug Launch' by author Melissa Trempe featuring a girl with long brown hair, a ladybug with wings, a rocket in space, starry night sky, and green plants on the cover.

Ladybug Launch: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space (Simon & Schuster) is co-authored with Dr. Natalia Ojeda and shares the incredible story of students in Chile who convinced NASA to take their ladybug experiment to space. This story encourages children to believe in themselves, embrace their curiosity, and proves that children’s ideas are worthy of adult attention and can have a real impact on science and the world!

COMING SOON! Saving Squirrel: A Manatee Rescue Story (Simon & Schuster) releases in 2028. This nonfiction story shares the tale of one of the youngest orphaned manatees found in Florida, named Squirrel, and her journey to finding her a mama. This is a story of resilience, found family, and a powerful reminder that our actions shape the world we share with animals. It inspires us to care for the habitats we call home and shows that, together, we can make positive changes to protect the animals who share our world.

Announcement for the 2025-2026 Keystone to Reading Award Top 10 Elementary Book List, showcasing colorful book covers including "Ladybug Launch", "Just Like Millie", "Gifts from the Garbage Truck", "Over and Under the Wetland", "Tricky Chops Tick", "Small Things Mended", "The Reindeer Remainers", "A Voice Like Yours", "Courage Every Day", and "My Mama Is a Work of Art" on a gold and black background.

AWARDS FOR LADYBUG LAUNCH

Black and white circular sticker with a ribbon at the bottom, featuring an open book icon at the center. The text on the sticker says 'The Pedro and Danyette International Book Award' with placeholders for a book title and comments.
Black and white circular award badge with the text "International Latino Book Awards" around the top edge, and "www.latinobookawards.org" at the bottom. In the center, a woman is sitting cross-legged, holding a large book featuring icons, with two children sitting on the ground reading.

2025 International Latino Book Awards Honorable Mention for Nonfiction

2025 Pedro & Daniel Commended Book Award

EVENTS

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EVENTS 〰️

Author Melissa Trempe at a book store sitting at a table signing books, with shelves of children's books behind her, including titles like 'Ladybug Launch.' The books feature colorful covers with illustrations of a girl and ladybugs.
Science Friday logo with an orange background, featuring the words 'science friday' above the NPR logo.

From author visits to schools,

The Smithsonian &

Science Friday . . .

see where Melissa will be next!

Events
Logo of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University featuring a stylized tree in copper color and black text
Logo of the National Air and Space Museum and Smithsonian Institution, featuring a stylized airplane with a slash through it.

Author visits and school presentations available for pre-kindergarten through middle school.

A school assembly author Melissa Trempe at an author visit in a gymnasium with students sitting on the floor. Melissa Trempe in a red dress speaking at the front, and a large screen displaying a slide.

One Book One School project at Conshohocken Elementary!

Learn More!

Available anywhere books are sold!

Book cover titled 'The Girl Who Dared to Dream of Space' by author Melissa Trempe with an illustration of a young girl, a spaceship, and planets in space.

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Book cover titled 'Ladybug Launch' by author Melissa Trempe featuring an illustrated girl in uniform with raised hand, a friendly ladybug with wings, stars, moon, a rocket with flames, and green plants, with text indicating authors and illustrators.

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Books-a-Million logo with blue B! and black text.
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Logo with a purple letter B and the word 'Bookshop' next to it.
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Barnes & Noble logo with green 'BN' and black text on a white background

KIRKUS REVIEW

“…The book offers a stirring example of representation in STEM. A rousing story of kids making an impact on the world of science.”

A colorful children's book titled 'Ladybug Launch' displayed at a market stall with fresh vegetables, including yellow lemons, green cucumbers, and orange carrots, in the background.

Praise . . .

Steena Hernadez,

Author of Lupita’s Brown Ballet Slippers

“I had the opportunity to read an ARC of this beautifully written story by Melissa Trempe and Natalia Ojeda, and illustrated by Manuela Montoya. This story shines from the first page, as it parallels a little girl, who dreams of becoming a scientist, and a ladybug, who wants to go to space. Adorable illustrations of the starry-eyed ladybug add an endearing touch to what the reader learns is based on a true story. An encouraging teacher helps the little girl and her classmates take their idea straight to NASA! A sprinkling of Spanish words makes this a diverse read, and a Spanish to English glossary is included. This inspiring read is sure to have the youngest readers dreaming big and shooting for the stars!”

A woman with long, wavy brown hair and a bright smile outdoors, wearing a patterned top.
Author Visit with Melissa Trempe in a Philadelphia school. Children in a library holding up books titled 'Ladybug Launch.' Two women are standing on either side of the children, smiling. The library has bookshelves and colorful rugs.

150 books donanated to students

in an underserved Philadelphia school…

I worked with a charitable organization called WePAC (West Philadelphia Alliance for Children) and my local bookstore, Children’s Book World, to provide a free author visit to an underserved Philadelphia school. With the help of friends, family, and my community, we raised enough money to give each child a copy of Ladybug Launch in April 2024.

After sharing the book with students, the children had a chance to make their own picture books!

This experience was incredibly special for me. These children have a school library that is only open one day a week and run by WePAC volunteers. When they check out books, they’re not allowed to take them home. The books stay at their school desks. To send these children home with their own books was an amazing feeling.

Photo provided by WePAC

Author visit with Melissa Trempe presenting to a group of children sitting on a colorful carpet in a library classroom, raising their hands to ask questions. Author stands in front of a large screen displaying a children’s book 'Ladybug Launch'
Children working on arts and crafts projects with colored pencils, papers, and drawings on a red table at an author visit to their school with author Melissa Trempe.

  • Critique Services

    Is your manuscript query ready? For information on critiques, email melissatrempebooks@gmail.com.

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    Two children sitting on a light-colored textured surface, working together on a laptop keyboard.

  • School Visits

    Melissa can’t wait to present at your school! She’s located in the Philadelphia area.

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    A black chalkboard with the words 'Read more' written in pink chalk. Surrounding the writing are various classroom supplies including white chalk, a wooden ruler, green and yellow binder clips, paper clips, a red alarm clock, and a white eraser.

  • About Melissa

    Learn more about the author! What was she like as a kid? You might be surprised!

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    A young girl with blonde, wavy hair sitting on the ground with her legs crossed. She is smiling, wearing a pink shirt, dark pants, and a white and red trucker hat with various words written on the front