Karen Hesse, born August 29, 1952 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, is an author of children's literature and literature for young adults . She is best known as a writer of historical fiction. She has received many awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002, and the 1998 Newbery medal for her book Out of the Dust.

Education

Karen attended Towson State College as a theater major, but transferred after two semesters to the University of Maryland, where she eventually earned a B.A. in English with double minors in Psychology and Anthropology.

Other works include: The Music of Dolphins (1996), A Time of Angels (1995), Phoenix Rising (1994), Letters from Rifka (1992) and Wish on a Unicorn (1991).