Black is a prolific #1 New York Times best-selling author of middle grade and young adult novels that blend elements of fantasy and horror. Her more popular works include the Spiderwick Chronicles series, co-written with Tony DiTerlizzi; The Coldest Girl in Coldtown (2013); and the Folk of the Air series. In 2022, Black released her adult fantasy debut novel, Book of Night.

Black is the author of over 30 published works, which have been translated into 32 languages worldwide and adapted for film. Black has also been a finalist for an Eisner Award and the Lodestar Award. Her first book, Tithe (2002), was included in the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults. Valiant (2005) received a Nebula Award, and Ironside (2007) was on the New York Times bestseller list for five weeks. Black rose to fame due to the enormous popularity of The Spiderwick Chronicles series, which was later adapted to film by Paramount Pictures. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was a finalist for the Norton and Locus Awards. The Folk of the Air trilogy, beginning with The Cruel Prince (2018), was also enormously popular, with The Cruel Prince appearing for four weeks as a New York Times bestseller.