Ann Rinaldi (August 27, 1934 – July 1, 2021) was an American young adult fiction author. She was best known for her historical fiction, including , , An Acquaintance with Darkness, A Break with Charity, and Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons. She wrote a total of more than forty novels, eight of which were listed as notable by the ALA. In 2000, Wolf by the Ears was listed as one of the best novels of the preceding twenty-five years, and later of the last one hundred years. She also wrote for the Dear America series.