Gary David Schmidt[5] (born April 14, 1957) is an American author of children's and young adults' fiction books.

"[8] After intervention from a concerned teacher, Schmidt found a love for reading, an event which served as inspiration for his novel The Wednesday Wars.

[14] Schmidt’s work has appeared multiple times on the CBC’s Best Children’s Book of the Year list, including Saint Ciaran, Straw into Gold, Mara's Stories, The Wonders of Donal O'Donnell, Trouble, What Came From the Stars, Martín de Porres, Orbiting Jupiter, Almost Time, and Celia Planted a Garden: The Story of Celia Thaxter and Her Island Garden.

While being treated, he was exposed to a variety of other cancer patients whose stories, he claims, served as inspiration for future novels and encouraged him to write primarily for children and young adults.

[16] He also enjoys teaching writing courses in prisons and detention centers, and experiences there served as inspiration for his novel Orbiting Jupiter.