Richard Wayne Peck (April 10, 1934 – May 23, 2018) was an American novelist known for his contributions to modern young adult literature.

[5] After college, he was drafted into the US Army as a chaplain's assistant and spent two years serving in Stuttgart, Germany.

However, these observations about junior high school students proved to be inspiring material for his books.

Peck was an adjunct professor in Louisiana State University's School of Library and Information Sciences.

— October 10, 2013, to a library full of 4th graders in Pleasanton, California [citation needed] "Nobody, but a reader, ever became a writer.

"[12] Peck wrote exclusively on a typewriter, described here in 'Publishers Weekly': When the author is not traveling, he works at an L-shaped desk, which affords a sunny window.

He writes each page six times, then places it in a three-ring binder with a DePauw University cover ("a talisman," he calls this memento from his alma mater).

[13] Richard Peck died on May 23, 2018, at his home in New York City after a long battle with cancer.