Karen Hesse (born on August 29, 1952 Baltimore, Maryland) is an American author of childrens literature and literature for young adults. She studied theatre at Towson State College, and finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland in English, Psychology, and Anthropology. In 1998 she won the Newbery Medal for her young adult novel, Out of the Dust. Hesse lives in Vermont with her husband and two teen-aged daughters.