Elizabeth Yates, author of over forty books for children, is perhaps best known for her book Amos Fortune, Free Man, the winner of the 1951 Newbery Award. Her husband William (in 1951) wrote of Elizabeth: "She has plenty of courage, a strong faith and a native expectancy of good. Living with her is a high adventure."
A life of adventure can begin quietly enough. Elizabeth Yates was born in New York in 1905 and her first story making occurred on the back of her horse Bluemose during long rides through the countryside. In 1926, determined to be an author she moved to New York City to launch her writing career. She undertook a variety of assignments: reviewing books, writing short stories, and doing research. When she married William McGreal they moved to England where her first book was published. In 1939, the McGreals returned to the United States and settled on an old farm in New Hampshire.
Elizabeth continued to write books, still finding time to pursue her other hobbies, which included gardening and walking. Now in her still vigorous nineties, she lives in Concord, New Hampshire, continuing to live out her deep sense of faith and adventure in many ways. One of the things she does is to open her home to small groups of children to provide writing instruction and encouragement.
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