Lurlene McDaniel (born April 5, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American author who has written more than 70 young adult books.

She is well known for writing about young adults struggling with mortality and chronic illness, a career that began as a therapeutic way to deal with the trauma when her son, then 3, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.

[citation needed] Her characters have grappled with cancer, diabetes, organ failure, and the deaths of loved ones through disease or suicide.

She also studies the Bible to help infuse her work with "the human element—the values and ethics often overlooked by the coldness of technology.

"[2] In addition to her young adult catalog and a magazine column, she has also written for radio, television and marketing campaigns.