author
Robin McKown
Drawn to real lives and big turning points, this American writer created young adult books that mixed clear storytelling with history, science, and biography. Her work ranges from Marie Curie to world political figures, making serious subjects approachable for younger readers.
1 Audiobook
Benjamin Franklin
by Robin McKown
About the author
Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1907, Robin McKown became an American writer known mainly for young adult biography and fiction. She studied at the University of Colorado Boulder, worked in New York for a publicist, and also wrote newspaper columns about contemporary authors as well as scripts for CBS radio.
Her books often introduced younger readers to notable people and complicated moments in history. Among her subjects were Marie Curie, Benjamin Franklin, Patrice Lumumba, and Kwame Nkrumah, and her writing earned recognition including the Josette Frank Award for Janine in 1960 and the Child Study Association's Children's Book Award the following year.
During and after World War II, she also served as chair of an organization that helped the widows and orphans of men killed in the French Resistance. She died in 1975, leaving behind a body of work remembered for bringing biography and history to life for younger audiences.