Lois Lowry (born Lois Ann Hammersberg; March 20, 1937) is an American writer credited with more than forty children's books. She has won two Newbery Medals, for Number the Stars in 1990 and The Giver in 1994. As an author, Lowry is known for writing about difficult subject matters within her works for children. She has explored such complex issues as racism, terminal illness, murder, and the Holocaust among other challenging topics.  A film adaptation of The Giver was released in 2014.