Author Margaret Peterson Haddix was born near Washington Court House, Ohio on April 9, 1964. She graduated from Miami University in 1986 with a B. A. in creative writing and journalism. Before becoming an author, she was a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis, an instructor at Danville Area Community College, and a freelance writer. She has won the International Reading Association Children's Book Award and several state Readers' Choice Awards. She is married with two children.