Edward Irving Wortis (born December 23, 1937), better known by the pen name Avi,[1][2] is an American author of young adult and children's literature.
In interviews, he recalled his mother reading to him and his sister every night, and going to the public library on Fridays.
Along with The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, he has written books for different age groups and in many different genres including historical fiction, fantasies, graphic novels, comedies, mysteries, ghost stories, adventure tales, realistic fiction, and picture books.
Avi has won awards for some of his books, including a Newbery Honor for The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle in 1991 and another for Nothing but the Truth in 1992.
Avi's book Iron Thunder, about the ironclad Monitor and its battle with the CSS Virginia in Hampton Roads, Virginia, was selected as the 2009 Beacon of Freedom Award winner by Williamsburg Regional Library and Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.