Beatrice Sparks (January 15, 1917 - May 25, 2012) was an American therapist and Mormon youth counselor renowned for producing books that claimed to be the 'real diaries' of troubled teenagers. Her works address pressing issues like drug abuse, Satanism, teenage pregnancy, and AIDS, presented as moral warnings.

Beatrice Ruby Mathews Sparks began her journey with adolescents in 1955, after studying at the University of California at Los Angeles and Brigham Young University. She also served as a music therapist at the Utah State Mental Hospital and taught continuing education courses at BYU.

Sparks's first prominent work, Go Ask Alice, was published under 'Anonymous' in 1971. Despite initially identifying herself as the editor, it was later revealed that she contributed significantly to the writing, combining real diary entries with fictional events based on her experiences. Following Go Ask Alice, she produced numerous 'real diaries', including It Happened to Nancy, Almost Lost, Annie's Baby, Treacherous Love, Kim: Empty Inside, and Finding Katie.

While Sparks claimed that her work with troubled teens inspired these cautionary tales, critics have questioned the extent of her qualifications and experience. The authorship of her books has also come under scrutiny, with U.S. Copyright Office records indicating that she was the sole author for all but two of them.