Sophie Swett

Born in Brewer, Maine, in 1858, Sophie Miriam Swett became an American children's author and editor whose work was closely tied to New England settings and interests. She was educated in Boston and, for a time, served as an associate editor of Wide Awake, a well-known juvenile magazine.

Swett wrote many stories for younger readers, including Flying Hill Farm, The Ponkaty Branch Road, Bilberry Boys and Girls, and How the Pennypackers Kept the Light. She also wrote Stories of Maine, a book that reflects her strong connection to her home state and her gift for presenting history and place in an accessible way.

Her fiction is remembered for its energy, wholesome tone, and interest in the lives of children and families, especially in coastal and small-town New England. She died in 1912, leaving behind a body of work that still offers a window into late nineteenth-century American writing for young people.