Lois Lowry Biography: Education, Nationality, Family, Children, Spouse, Parents

Lois Lowry is one of the most influential and widely read authors of children’s and young-adult literature in modern American letters.

Best known for The Giver and Number the Stars, Lowry’s work spans picture books, lighthearted series fiction, historical novels, and haunting dystopian tales that have changed how generations of young readers think about memory, courage, and moral choice.

Profile Data

• Full Name: Lois Ann Lowry (née Hammersberg)
• Born: March 20, 1937
• Age: 88 years (as of 2025)
• Birthplace: Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, United States
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: Author, Novelist
• Parents: Katharine Gordon Landis and Robert E. Hammersberg
• Spouse: Donald Grey Lowry (m. 1956; div. 1977)
• Children: Four (including Grey and Alix, though one son passed away)

Early life and family

Lois Ann Hammersberg was born in Honolulu in 1937. Her father was an army dentist, which meant the family moved frequently; these early moves and the experience of wartime separation and memory would later echo through her fiction. She grew up in a household that valued reading and storytelling, and those formative experiences helped shape the emotional directness that characterizes her work.

Education and early adulthood

Lowry attended Brown University and later completed her B.A. at the University of Southern Maine in 1972. She married Donald Grey Lowry in the mid-1950s and raised four children; family life, blended with the mobility of military and civilian postings, informed many of the domestic and childhood scenes in her fiction.

How Lois Lowry began writing

Lowry began publishing in the 1970s. Her early novels and picture books showed a range from gentle humor to sober realism. She gained a wide readership with the Anastasia series, which captured everyday childhood with wit and warmth, but it was her historical novel Number the Stars and the dystopian The Giver that cemented her reputation as a writer unafraid to put difficult topics in front of young readers.

Major works and why they matter

Number the Stars (1989)

Number the Stars is a historical novel set during World War II that follows a Danish girl’s experiences helping her Jewish friend escape Nazi persecution. The book won a Newbery Medal and is widely used in classrooms for introducing children to wartime courage and moral responsibility.

The Giver (1993)

The Giver tells the story of Jonas, a boy chosen to inherit the community’s memories of pain, pleasure, and color in a seemingly utopian but tightly controlled world. The novel’s philosophical questions about individuality, memory, and freedom made it both beloved and controversial—winning the Newbery Medal in 1994 and inspiring classroom debates, adaptations, and a later quartet of related books.

The Anastasia & Sam Krupnik books

Alongside her weightier novels, Lowry wrote charming series about Anastasia Krupnik and her brother Sam, which showcased Lowry’s comic timing and insight into the small dramas of childhood. These books helped broaden her readership and displayed her versatility.

Themes, style, and approach

Across genres, Lowry’s writing returns again and again to a few core concerns: the ethics of remembering (and forgetting), the responsibilities individuals have to one another, and the small but decisive acts of courage children can take. Her prose tends to be clear, emotionally direct, and respectful of young readers’ ability to grapple with complexity. Reviewers and interviewers note that Lowry deliberately trusts children with big ideas rather than watering difficult issues down.

Awards, honors, and recognition

Lois Lowry has received two Newbery Medals—Number the Stars (1990) and The Giver (1994)—a rare achievement. Beyond the Newbery recognition, she has been honored with lifetime achievement awards and many regional and national prizes celebrating her contribution to children’s literature. Her books have sold in the millions and are taught around the world.

Controversy and challenges

Because Lowry often addresses death, war, violence, and social control, several of her books—especially The Giver—have been challenged or banned in some schools and libraries. These controversies reflect wider cultural debates about what is appropriate reading for young people and how educators should introduce difficult themes. Lowry has consistently defended the role of honest storytelling for children.

Later life and legacy

Lowry has continued to write well into her later years, producing novels, picture books, and essays. Her influence is clear in the generations of writers and readers who cite her books as formative. Teachers frequently use her novels in curricula to spark ethical discussions; librarians and literary scholars point to her bravery in putting weighty themes into the hands of young readers.

Interesting facts

• The Giver later became a quartet—The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.
• Lowry’s work has inspired adaptations and international discussions about censorship and curriculum.

FAQS

When and where was Lois Lowry born?

She was born on March 20, 1937, in Honolulu (then the Territory of Hawaii).

What are Lois Lowry’s most famous books?

The Giver and Number the Stars, plus the Anastasia series and many others (over 40 books).

How many Newbery Medals has she won?

Two—1990 and 1994.

Why is The Giver controversial?

Because it confronts themes like societal control, emotional suppression, and euthanasia—topics that some consider too mature for younger readers.

Is The Giver a standalone?

It’s the first published book in what became The Giver Quartet, though many readers enjoy it as a standalone novel.

Conclusion

Lois Lowry’s career blends warmth and moral seriousness. She has never underestimated young readers; instead, she has given them stories that ask difficult questions and encourage empathy, courage, and critical thinking. From classroom discussions to award lists, her influence is unmistakable: few children’s authors have so consistently combined literary reach with moral depth. Whether you first met her in the quiet, haunting pages of The Giver or the funny, affectionate scenes of Anastasia’s world, Lowry’s books stick with readers — and that, perhaps, is the truest mark of her legacy.