Janet Taylor Lisle is the author of children’s books and young adult novels that range between fantasy and reality.
Background
Janet Lisle was born on February 13, 1947 in Englewood, United States, in the family of Alden Mygatt and Janet Roberton (MacColl) Taylor. Lisle was born in Texas, grew up in rural Farmington, Connecticut, and spent her summers in Rhode Island. Growing up with four younger brothers, Janet and the rest of her siblings were all passionate readers.
Education
Janet was educated at local schools until age fifteen when she entered The Ethel Walker School, a girl's boarding school in Simsbury, Connecticut. Janet attended Smith College and graduated in 1969 with a degree in English Literature.
Career
Lisle had seen many people overcome with challenges so she went back to college at Georgia State University to take journalism classes. She wanted to write about what she has seen while working with VISTA to make the public more aware of poverty. She worked as a reporter for the next ten years.
Her first book, The Dancing Cats of Applesap, was inspired by her own childhood memories. Following this book, Lisle continued writing for a diverse audience and produced over ten more novels. Lisle is a true believer of the unknown and this way of thinking has made her book’s plots complex and mysterious.
All of her books incorporate elves, fairies or some kind of unusual creature. Whether these characters are real within the story, or simply imaginative shells of her characters, the story line is often left unresolved.