Thea Beckman (born Theodora Beckmann) was a renowned Dutch author of children's books. She was born on July 23, 1923, in Rotterdam and passed away on May 5, 2004. Beckman started writing in 1947, but she only pursued it full time after her children grew up.

Her novel Crusade in Jeans, first published in 1973, became an overnight success and established her as one of the most popular authors of juvenile books in the Netherlands. Beckman had a profound fascination with history, and she wrote books about various historical periods.