Lois Ann Lowry is an American writer born on March 20, 1937. She is renowned for her remarkable contributions to children's and young adult literature, including popular books such as The Giver Quartet, Number the Stars, and Rabble Starkey. Lowry is celebrated for tackling difficult subject matters, dystopian themes, and complex narratives within her works aimed at young audiences.

She has been honored with two prestigious Newbery Medals: one for Number the Stars in 1990 and another for The Giver in 1994. Additionally, her work Gooney Bird Greene won the 2002 Rhode Island Children's Book Award.

Despite her acclaim, many of her books have been challenged or banned in some schools and libraries, notably The Giver, which is included in some school curricula while prohibited in others.

More about her personal life: Lowry was born in Hawaii and spent part of her childhood moving around the world, as her father was a career military officer and Army dentist. She was the middle child of three, with an older sister and a younger brother. Lowry describes herself as a solitary child who found solace in books and her vivid imagination.