  lois lowry (born lois ann hammersberg; march 20, 1937) is an american writer credited with more than thirty children's books and an autobiography. she has won two newbery medals, for number the stars in 1990 and the giver in 1994. for her contribution as a children's writer, she was a finalist in 2000 (and u.s. nominee again in 2004) for the biennial, international hans christian andersen award, the highest recognition available to creators of children's books. her book gooney bird greene won the 2002 rhode island children's book award. in 2007 she received the margaret edwards award from the american library association for her contribution in writing for teens. in 2011 she gave the may hill arbuthnot lecture; her lecture was titled "unleaving: the staying power of gold ". she was also awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by brown university in 2014.  as an author, lowry is known for writing about difficult subject matters within her works for children. she has explored such complex issues as racism, terminal illness, murder, and the holocaust among other challenging topics. she has also explored very controversial issues of questioning authority such as in the giver quartet. her writing on such matters has brought 
1937_births 20th-century_American_novelists 20th-century_women_writers 21st-century_American_novelists 21st-century_women_writers American_School_in_Japan_alumni American_children\'s_writers American_women_novelists American_women_writers Brown_University_alumni Living_people Margaret_A._Edwards_Award_winners Newbery_Medal_winners Pembroke_College_in_Brown_University_alumni People_from_Cambridge,_Massachusetts People_from_Carlisle,_Pennsylvania People_from_Portland,_Maine University_of_Southern_Maine_alumni Women_writers_for_children Writers_from_Honolulu,_Hawaii Writers_from_Maine Writers_from_Massachusetts Writers_from_Pennsylvania