Lilian Garis

Born Lilian Cleo McNamara in Cleveland, Ohio, she became a journalist before building a remarkable career in children's fiction. She is often noted as the first female reporter at the Newark Evening News, where she covered women's topics and sharpened the brisk, readable style that would carry into her books.

From about 1915 into the early 1940s, she wrote hundreds of juvenile novels, many aimed at girls and young teens. Her work included popular series such as the Girl Scout books, and she became known for stories that mixed friendship, suspense, and capable young heroines.

She was married to fellow children's author Howard R. Garis, and the two are remembered as an unusually prolific literary pair. Today, Lilian Garis remains a familiar name to readers of early 20th-century series fiction, with many of her books still available in digital archives.