Johanna Hurwitz received her master’s degree in library science from Columbia University and was working as a children’s librarian when in 1976 she published her first book, Busybody Nora, one of the first chapter books for readers who are transitioning to novels. She has since written more than 60 books for young readers, both fiction and nonfiction, including biographies of Anne Frank, Astrid Lindgren, Helen Keller, and Leonard Bernstein.