Marguerite deAngeli (1889 - 1987)

Thanks to Semicolon, a favorite morning blog stop for me, I learned that Marguerite deAngeli was born on this day in 1889.

Marguerite Lofft deAngeli is one of the best known and highly regarded author / illustrators in American children's literature. Born in Lapeer, Michigan in 1889, she awarded the Newbery Medal in 1950 for The Door in the Wall, and was among the first to be inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall in of Fame.

The Door in the Wall may be her best known book, but one of the top ten read alouds we have ever done as a family is
The Black Fox of Lorne:

This book... attests to deAngeli's versatility. BLACK FOX OF LORNE is historical fiction for older readers and is comparable to DOOR IN THE WALL in richness of historical setting. The story occurred in the tenth century,with two Viking twins shipwrecked on the Scottish coast. They seek to avenge the death of their father and encounter loyal clans men at war, kindly shepherds, power-hungry lairds and staunch crofters. A Newbery Honor Book 1957.