Gertrude Chandler Warner was born April 16, 1890 in Putnam, Connecticut to Edgar Morris Warner and Jane Elizabeth Warner. She was the middle of three children. The Warner's house was located across the street from the railroad station.
From the time she was five years old, Warner dreamt of becoming a famous author. She began writing in ten-cent blank books as soon as she could hold a pencil. Her first book was an imitation of Florence Kate Upton's Golliwog stories, which she gave to her grandfather as a Christmas gift. Every Christmas afterwards, Warner gave her grandfather a hand-made book as a present.
Warner loved nature and reading growing up. She had a butterfly and moth collection, pressed wildflowers, kept a garden, and leaerned about the birds in her area. Her favourite book was Alice in Wonderland. She loved learning, but because of her frequent illnesses she never finished high school. After leaving during her sophmore year, she received her secondary education from a tutor. She taught Sunday school until 1918, when she was asked to teach first grade. She taught as a grade-school teacher until 1950, and took education courses from Yale University during the summer.
Warner is most famous for writing The Boxcar Children, but she wrote many other books for both children and adults. Though her name is on all of the Boxcar Children books, Warner only wrote the first 18. Other authors have continued the series, using her name as a penname.
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