Gloria Whelan born an only child in Detroit, Michigan, in 1923, and began making up stories before she could even write. Later, she would tell stories to her baby sitters and then type the stories out. In elementary school she began writing poetry, and in high school she edited the school paper. She never stopped writing and attributes her excellence in writing to all the books she read when she was young.
Whelan began to be noticed for her writing at a late age. Before she recieved any recognition at all, she was already married with two children. She also worked as a social worker and a supervisor of group services and a day care program in Detroit. Then, in 1977, she and her doctor husband Joseph decided to leave the hustle and bustle of Detroit behind and settle at a house situated on a small lake in northern Michigan called Oxbow Lake, where they still live and enjoy receiving visits from their chilred and grandchildren.
A lot of Gloria's books are about her favorite places in Michigan, but sometimes she writes about places that are set in other countires or in earlier times. This allows her to imagine what it was like to live in those places. The research for these books, she claims, is like a treasure hunt: she never knows what she's going to find. Gloria is a best-selling author of many novels for young readers, winning honors such as the National Book Award; and the Great Lakes Book Award.
Did you find this review helpful?