Avi was born in 1937, in the city of New York and raised in Brooklyn. He began his writing career as a playwright, and didn't start writing childrens books until he had kids of his own.
Avi is the highly respected author of the Scott O’Dell Award winning The Fighting Ground and the Newbery Honor Books The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Nothing but the Truth. A former resident of Providence, Rhode Island, Avi now lives in Boulder, Colorado.James Watling has illustrated many children’s books with historical themes including The First Thanksgiving by Linda Hayward. He lives near Montreal, Canada.