Henry A. (Henry Augustus) Shute

Born in Exeter, New Hampshire, in 1856, Henry Augustus Shute was an American lawyer, judge, and writer whose work grew out of everyday small-town life. He studied at Phillips Exeter Academy and Harvard, then returned to Exeter, where he practiced law and later served as a municipal court judge.

Shute became nationally known after The Real Diary of a Real Boy appeared in 1902. Its voice, humor, and affectionate picture of mischief made it a standout success, and he followed it with more books and with the popular "Plupy" stories published in The Saturday Evening Post.

What makes his writing memorable is its easy charm. He had a gift for catching the way children talk, think, and get into trouble, and he set those moments down with a mix of comedy and kindness that gives his books their lasting appeal.