Lynne Reid Banks is a British author of books for children and adults.
Banks was born in London, the only child of James and Muriel Reid Banks. She was evacuated to Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Canada during World War II, and returned after the war was over. She attended St Teresa's School Effingham in Surrey. Prior to becoming a writer, Banks was an actress, and also worked as a television journalist in Britain, one of the first women to do so.
In 1962 Banks emigrated to Israel, where she taught for eight years on a kibbutz Yas'ur. In 1965 she married Chaim Stephenson (1926-2016), a sculptor, with whom she had three sons. She lives in Shepperton, Surrey, UK.
Although the family returned to England in 1971, the influence of her time in Israel can be seen in some of her books (including One More River and its sequel, Broken Bridge - and other books such as An End to Running and Children at the Gate) which are set partially or mainly on kibbutzim.
In October 2013, Banks won the J. M. Barrie award for outstanding contribution to children's arts.
