Jane Yolen was born in New York City on February 11, 1939 to Isabel Berlin Yolen and Will Hyatt Yolen. She is the author and editor of hundreds of books across a variety of genres In addition to The Devil's Arithmetic, she is the author of (among many others) the Commander Toad series; How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight; The Emperor and the Kite, for which she received a Caldecott Medal; and Sister Emily's Nightship, which earned her a Nebula Award. At the 2010 World Fantasy Awards, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Yolen graduated from Smith College in 1960 with her Bachelor's Degree and she earned her Master's Degree in Education from the University of Massachusetts –...