GERTRUDE CHANDLER WARNER was born in Putnam, Connecticut, on April 16, 1890. From the age of five, she dreamed of becoming an author. She wrote stories for her Grandfather Carpenter, and each Christmas she gave him a story as a gift. Ms. Warner is best remembered as the author of The Boxcar Children Mysteries.

MAIKE PLENZKE studied illustration in Hamburg, Germany. In her studio full of plants, Maike loves to do colorful illustrations for book covers, magazines, and comic books. When she is not drawing, she loves sewing, riding her longboard in the sun, and watching a movie on the couch. She also illustrated The Beatles: A Little Golden Book Biography. She lives and works in Berlin with her partner and their dog.