Eva Maria Charlotte Michelle Ibbotson, known as Eva Ibbotson, was a distinguished British novelist noted for her significant contributions to children's literature. Born in Vienna, Austria, on 21 January 1925 to a Jewish family, Ibbotson and her family moved to England to escape the Nazi regime. Her educational journey includes attending Bedford College, where she graduated in 1945, followed by Cambridge University from 1946-47, and later earning a diploma in education from the University of Durham in 1965.

Ibbotson initially aimed to become a physiologist but chose a different path due to her aversion to animal testing. She embraced family life, marrying and raising three sons and a daughter. After becoming widowed, she re-entered the academic sphere to become a teacher in the 1960s. Ibbotson's literary career was launched with the television drama 'Linda Came Today' in 1965.

Her repertoire includes both romance and children's fantasy novels. Her work has been met with critical acclaim; notably, her historical novel Journey to the River Sea earned her the Smarties Prize in the 9–11 years category, was runner-up for the Guardian Prize, and was shortlisted for the Carnegie, Whitbread, and Blue Peter awards. At the time of her death on 20 October 2010, she was a finalist for the 2010 Guardian Prize, and posthumously, her last book, The Abominables, was a finalist for the same award in 2012.