Barbara Wersba was born August 19, 1932, in Chicago, Illinois, the only child of parents who divorced while she was young. She was a writer in her childhood, an actress at twelve, and a published author at age twenty-nine.

The Boy Who Loved the Sea, Wersba's first book, was written in 1960 after her theater group folded. When she contracted hepatitis and faced a long recovery period, a friend suggested she write to pass the time, and thereafter Wersba turned her considerable energy and talent into writing books for children and young adults. In addition to writing, she reviews children's literature for the New York Times and teaches writing.

Wersba has won numerous awards for her young adult novels. Tunes for a Small Harmonica and The Carnival in My Mind, her two most popular novels, were on the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults lists...