Creator of the popular children's series The Boxcar Children, which was first published in 1924 and which, under different authorship, continued well into the 21st century.
She began teaching first grade in 1918, since most of the male teachers were off fighting in World War I.
Her books were extremely popular with children, though critics charged that the lack of parental supervision in them might spur childhood rebellion.
She was born into a musical family and began learning the cello while she was young.
Her favorite book growing up was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
