Mildred D. Taylor┬аis the author of nine novels including┬аThe Road to Memphis,┬аLet the Circle Be Unbroken,┬аThe Land,┬аThe Well, and┬аRoll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Her books have won numerous awards, among them a Newbery Medal (for┬аRoll of Thunder, Hear My Cry), four Coretta Scott King Awards, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. Her book┬аThe Land┬аwas awarded the┬аL.A. Times┬аBook Prize and the PEN Award for Children's Literature. In 2003, Ms. Taylor was named the First Laureate of the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature. Ms. Taylor now devotes her time to her family, writing, and what she terms "the family ranch" in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.