Patricia Hermes was born in Brooklyn, New York on February 21, 1936. She graduated from St. John's University in 1957 with degrees in speech and English. She briefly taught English and social studies in middle school before taking time off to raise her children. When she returned to teaching, but decided to pursue a professional writing career after taking a class in writing nonfiction for adults. Her articles appeared in national parenting magazines as well as an Op-Ed piece for the New York Times, which caught the attention of a literary agent. The agent suggested she write for young readers. In 1980, her first book, What If They Knew?, was published. Since then she has written over fifty books for children and young adults including Nobody's Fault?, The Cousins Club series, the Emma Dilemma series, and six historical novels in the Scholastic Dear America/My America series. She received numerous awards including the Smithsonian Notable Book Award, the C. S. Lewis Honor Award, the American Library Association Best Book Award, and the award for the New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Years. She died on July 11, 2018 at the age of 82. (Bowker Author Biography)