About Julie

Julie Stroebel Barichello is the author of the children’s chapter books “Sarah & Katy and the Imagination Blankets” and “Sarah & Katy and the Book of Blank.”

Barichello was raised in the rural farmland of north-central Illinois. She spent her childhood playing make-believe in a five-acre backyard and hiding books under her pillow to read by the garage light’s glow through her bedroom window after her parents tucked her in.

In 2009, Barichello graduated from Eureka College with a bachelor’s degree in print journalism and is the evening news editor at a central Illinois newspaper.

In her writing and life, she is a champion of the “unplugged” imagination, encouraging both children and adults to exercise their imagination without the help of batteries or a power cord. She advocates activities that promote creativity and use of imagination, such as reading, writing, art, and daydreaming.

Barichello now lives in Streator, Illinois, with her husband and cat.