Gertrude Chandler Warner (April 16, 1890 - August 30, 1979) was an American author, mainly of children's stories. She was most famous for beginning the popular Boxcar Children book series.

Born in Putnam, Connecticut, Warner dreamed of being a famous author from the age of five. Her favorite book was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Being in a musical family, she was almost predisposed to play an instrument; in her case, she chose the cello, and her father bought her a cello kit at a young age. However, because of her frequent illness, Warner never finished high school. After leaving in her sophomore year, she learned from a tutor and finished her secondary education. In 1918, while she was teaching Sunday School, Warner was called to teach first grade, mainly because male teachers were being called to serve in World War I. She thought up the Boxcar Children while at home, sick. The stories were perfect for children, especially the majority (at least in her class) who did not speak English very well. She was criticized for displaying children with little parental supervision; her critics thought that that would encourage child rebellion. Her response was, however, that the children liked it for that very reason.

-taken fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Chandler_Warner