Ethel Turner (24 January 1872 – 8 April 1958) was an English-born Australian novelist and children's literature writer.

Her father died when she was two, leaving her mother Sarah Jane Burwell with two daughters (Ethel and Lillian).

Henry Turner died suddenly, leaving Sarah Jane with nine children and little income.

In 1879 Sarah Jane moved to Australia with Ethel, Lillian, and Rose; within the next two years she married Charles Cope and gave birth to his son Rex.

She started her writing career at eighteen, founding the Parthenon, a journal for young people, with her sister Lillian.

As 'Dame Durden' she wrote children's columns for the Illustrated Sydney News and later for the Australian Town and Country Journal.

Jean's works include The Ship That Never Set Sail, Drowning Maze, and Beach Beyond (1923).

The Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature is given annually under the auspices of the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.