Karen Hesse (born on August 29, 1952 Baltimore, Maryland) is an American author of children's literature and literature for young adults. She studied theatre at Towson State College, and finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland in English, Psychology, and Anthropology. In 1998 she won the Newbery Medal for her young adult novel, Out of the Dust. Hesse lives in Vermont with her husband and two teen-aged daughters.
Kay has illustrated more than fifteen books for children, including Muggie Maggie, for which Ms. Life received the Garden State Children's Book Award. She lives in Westfield, Massachusetts.