Patricia Reilly Giff, April 26, 1935 - Patricia Reilly Giff was born on April 26, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York and grew up in Saint Albans. She knew she wanted to be a writer, even as a little girl. After high school, Giff attended Marymount College, earning her Bachelor's of Arts in Education. She also earned a Master's of Arts from St. John's University as well as a Professional Diploma in Reading and a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hofstra University. After she graduated from college, Giff began teaching at the suggestion of her Dean at Marymount. She taught in the public schools in New York City until 1960 and then in the public schools in Elmont, New York from 1964 til 1971. She then… became a reading consultant before finally, at the age of 40, deciding to write a book. Giff also worked as an educational consultant for Dell Yearling and Young Yearling Books, and as an advisor and instructor to aspiring writers. She is the author of over 60 children's books, as well as a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers. Together with her husband, Giff opened "The Dinosaur's Paw," a children's bookstore named after one of her own stories. Her novel "Lily's Crossing," about the homefront during World War II, was named a Newberry Honor Book by the American Library Association as well as an ALA Notable Book for Children. The novel also won the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor.
BLANCHE SIMS has illustrated scores of books for children, including the books in Patricia Reilly Giff’s Polk Street School series and those in the Oliver and Company series by Page McBrier. She lives in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.