Lowry, Lois (1937-...), is an American author whose fiction for young adults explores serious issues. She won the 1990 and 1994 Newbery medals for Number the Stars (1989) and The Giver (1993). In Number the Stars, Lowry describes the experiences of a Danish family who shelter a Jewish girl from Nazi invaders during World War II (1939-1945). The Giver is the first of three related science fiction novels about strictly controlled societies of the future. The other two novels are Gathering Blue (2000) and Messenger (2004). The Giver is a chilling portrait of a country in which some people are allowed to decide the fate of all others. Gathering Blue is set in a grim society that artists play a vital role in improving. Messenger takes place seven years after the action in Gathering Blue. Lowry also wrote The Silent Boy (2003), which describes a friendship between a 9-year-old girl and a mentally challenged farm boy in the early 1900's.