Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry is the author of more than fifty books for children and young adults, including The New York Times bestselling Giver Quartet and the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, Number the Stars and The Giver.

The two-time Newbery Medal winner, described as “clearly one of the most important twentieth-century American writers for children,” whose books are a staple of both middle school curricular and banned book lists. Her new 2026 middle-grade novel echoes that of her most prominent work, The Giver, but with a sobering spin for today’s generation. In Building 903, twins Tessa and Theo live in a world ruled by the tyrannical leaders, where there are no dangers and nearly no rebels. In this world, citizens live long lives, and while many hate the tyrannical leaders, they are comfortable and safe. So, when Tessa's brother disappears, this anomaly is quickly swept under the rug. Soon after, when Tessa's 135-year-old neighbor, Miriam Osterman, is bound for the retirement community, she sneaks Tessa a key—not only to her brother's disappearance, but to the source of all real magic . . . books. As Tessa and her parents begin their search for Theo, Tessa learns that books not only tell us stories—they open portals and unlock our humanity through our most powerful tool: the imagination. Once that truth has been revealed, Tessa won't be able to rest until she has retrieved her twin and society itself has been transformed.