Natalie Babbitt was born July 28, 1932, and grew up in Ohio. As a child, Babbit wanted to be an illustrator, and went on to specialize in art at Laurel School in Cleveland and at Smith College. She and her husband decided to collaborate on a children's book, The Forty-Ninth Magician which was published by Pantheon in 1966. After her husband accepted a position as president of a college, Babbitt found herself without a writer, so she decided to try becoming her own author. Her first two books were Dick Foote and the Shark and Phoebe's Revolt, followed by The Search for Delicious and then Kneeknock Rise, a Newbery Honor title, The Something, and Goody Hall. Babbitt has illustrated five books… for Valerie Worth. She has written and illustrated two books of stories about the devil called The Devil's Storybook and The Devil's Other Storybook. Between these came three novels: Tuck Everlasting, The Eyes of the Amaryllis and Herbert Rowbarge.
Gregory Maguire was born June 9, 1954 in Albany, New York. He received a B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany and a Ph.D. in English and American literature from Tufts University. He is a founder and co-director of Children's Literature New England, Incorporated, a non-profit educational charity established in 1987. He writes for both adults and children. His first book, The Lighting Time, was published in 1978. His adult works include Wicked, Confessions of and Ugly Stepsister, Lost, Mirror Mirror, Son of a Witch, and A Lion Among Men. The Broadway play Wicked is based on his book of the same title. His children's books include the picture book Crabby Cratchitt, the novel… The Good Liar, and the Hamlet Chronicles series.