Judy Blume is considered one of the world's best-known writers for young adults. She was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1938. She earned a degree in education. Blume has written over 20 books. Titles such as "Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret", "Then Again, Maybe I Won't", and "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" are widely recognized. Her books have sold over 50 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Blume has received more than 100 awards. In 1996, she received the American Library Association's Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her adult titles include "Wifey", "Smart Women", and "Summer Sisters". Young readers have always… viewed Blume as someone who is in touch with their feelings. They write thousands of letters to her each year, a number of which were published in her 1986 book, "Letters to Judy: What Your Kids Wish They Could Tell You". Blume currently resides in New York. She has three grown children, speaks out against censorship, and continues to write.
Alma Flor Ada was born in 1938 in Cuba. She has authored several children's folktales including "Encaje de Piedra" which earned her the Marta Salotti Gold Medal, "The Gold Coin" which won the Christopher Award, and "Gathering the Sun" which received the Once Upon a World Award. "The Lizard and the Sun/La Lagartija y el Sol" won her a Gold Medal from the National Association of Parenting Publications, and she was awarded an Accolade from the American Folklore Association for "Mediopollito/Half-Chicken". Her title "Under the Royal Palms: A Childhood in Cuba" won the Pura Belpre Award. In addition to writing, she is a professor at the University of San Francisco.