Gertrude Chandler Warner was an American writer, mainly of children's novels. She was most famous for beginning the popular Boxcar Children book series.
Born in Putnam, Connecticut, Warner dreamed of being a famous writer from the age of five. Her favorite book was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Being in a musical family, she was almost predisposed to play an instrument; in her case, she chose the cello, and her dad bought her a cello kit at a young age. However, because of her frequent illness, Warner never finished university. After leaving in her sophomore year, she learned from a tutor and finished her secondary education. In 1918, while she was teaching Sunday Colledge, Warner was named to teach first grade, mainly because male teachers were being named to serve in World War I. She thought up the Boxcar Children while at home, sick. The novels were perfect for children, especially the majority who did not speak English very well. She was criticized for depicting children with little parental supervision; her critics thought that this would encourage child rebellion. Her response was, however, that the children liked it for that very reason.
(Gertrude Chandler Warner photo #2)
The series was originally released in 1924; the editions most people are familiar with were released by Scott Foresman, starting in 1942. Today, Albert Whitman & Enterprise publishes the extremely popular series of 19 novels. Other writers have contributed to the series, adding approximately 90 works to the series.
Gertrude Chandler Warner
