Ethel C. (Ethel Claire) Brill

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1877, she studied at the University of Minnesota and was already doing newspaper book-review work by the time she graduated. That early connection to journalism stayed with her through a long writing career.

She is best known for adventure novels for younger readers, including The Secret Cache, The Island of Yellow Sands, South from Hudson Bay, and When Lighthouses Are Dark. Several of these stories draw on the landscapes of Lake Superior and the northern borderlands, giving them an outdoor, regional flavor alongside their mystery plots.

She died in 1962. While she is not as widely remembered today as some of her contemporaries, her books still appeal to readers who enjoy vintage juvenile fiction, northern settings, and fast-moving old-fashioned adventures.