Madeleine L'Engle

An only child who was left out at school, Madeleine L'Engle began writing at age five, penning a story called Gurl, which she was unaware she spelled incorrectly. L'Engle has become one of the most prolific and popular authors of the twentieth century. Although she has written nonfiction, poetry, biblical criticism, essays, and plays, she is most closely associated with children's fiction, most notably A Wrinkle in Time (1962), for which she won the Newbery Medal in 1963. She is also the author of The Small Rain (1945), The 24 Days Before Christmas (1964), Certain Women (1992), and Mothers and Daughters (1997).