Elizabeth George Speare was an acclaimed American writer known for her children's historical fiction. She was born on November 21, 1908, in Melrose, Massachusetts, and spent her entire life in New England. Despite a lifelong intention to write, she began her literary career in earnest only after her children were in junior high. Her works include two Newbery Medal winners, awarded for the most distinguished contributions to American literature for children. In 1989, she received the Children's Literature Legacy Award for her contributions to American children's literature and was recognized as one of the Educational Paperback Association's top 100 authors.