Ann Rinaldi

From an early age Ann Rinaldi knew that she wanted to be a writer. Rinaldi went on to write columns for newspapers before publishing her first young adult novel in 1980. Her interest in historical fiction began with her son's involvement in Revolutionary War reenactments, which let her see the country's history "from the bottom up, hands on, instead of out of a history book." She was drawn to the subject matter of In My Father's House by the extraordinary true story of one family's experience during the Civil War.