Born in New York City in 1947, Jane O'Connor attended Smith College in southern Massachusetts, graduating in 1969. In 1971 she got her first job in publishing, working in the editorial department of Hastings House Publishers. From 1977 to 1983, O'Connor was an editor at Scholastic, Inc.; then she moved to Random House, where she became editor-in-chief of children's books. She has won numerous awards including the New York Academy of Sciences Honor book, 1981, for Magic in the Movies: The Story of Special Effects, with Katy Hall; Golden Sower Award, Nebraska Library Association, 1982, for Yours Till Niagara Falls, Abby; Children's Choice designation, International Reading Association, 1989,… for The Ghost in Tent Nineteen; "nonfiction book for 2002" citation, Booklist, and Orbis Honor Book, both 2002, both for The Emperor's Silent Army: Terracotta Warriors of Ancient China. She is married to Jim O'Connor and has two sons.