Born in New York City in 1937, Avi—the name given him by his twin sister—was raised in a home with a family history of authorship and books. Though he struggled with writing in school, he decided in high school to become just that—a writer. His first book was published in 1970, and since then he has published some seventy-one books for young people in the United States and around the world. Known for his wide stylistic range and prolific literary skills, Avi is the recipient of many writing honors, including the 2003 Newbery Medal for
Crispin: The Cross of Lead, two Newbery Honors, for
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and
Nothing But the Truth, two Horn Book Awards (
Poppy,
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle) the Scott O'Dell Award for
The Fighting Ground,
Easton, the Christopher Award for
Encounter at Easton, plus innumerable state awards. Out this spring was
Crispin: The End of Time. Avi can be found on the web at:
www.avi-writer.com