Update: A small batch of children's authors

A few more stray children’s authors—those from my most recent update who don’t seem to have specialized in girls’ school novels (though at least two did dabble in that genre)—and one who certainly can't be called a stray...

Enid Blyton

I can’t think of any good excuse for never having included ENID BLYTON in my list until now.  I can only say that I glanced at her early on—before I really became interested in authors of children’s books or girls’ stories—concluded that she had mostly written for very young children, and never looked at her again.  While it’s true that she seems to have written a lot of stories for younger children, her novels for older children include two series of school novels—the St. Clare's stories and the Malory Towers stories—that seem to be calling my name, as well as several other series.  Live and learn!

GILLIAN AVERY also seems like quite an oversight—not only because her children’s fiction, including The Elephant War, about a girl in Victorian Oxford who becomes an activist to save an elephant from being sent to Barnum’s circus, sounds quite interesting, but because she’s written a history of English girls’ schools which seems destined for my bedside table (now that I’m a novice connoisseur of girls’ school stories).

ESMĖ CARTMELL seems to remain a bit of a mystery—the author, apparently, of only one novel, Rescue in Ravensdale, which seems to be partly a children’s holiday adventure story and partly a satire of just that kind of story.  I am intrigued.

NITA UNTHANK’s books could well be girls’ school stories, but little information seems to be available about her or them.  I have to say, though, I am not enticed by this rather creepy cover that could well have been a movie poster for a B-movie called “The Evil Twins Go to School.”

ALICE MASSIE’s covers are more my style, though...isn't this a rather odd title for a girls' story?  Living within one's means is important, of course, but hardly sounds like a glamorous adventure!

And Massie did write adult novels as well, though information about all of her work is hard to come by. Here's a cover from 1932:

Alas, only 12 new authors in all this time around, but have no fear!  I’ve already come across more children’s writers who will go into my next major update, which hopefully means more fun covers as well.  Meanwhile, the full list of this batch is below, along with a few more covers.  All have already been added to the main list.

GILLIAN AVERY (1926-     ) (married name Cockshut)
	Children's author and historian whose works are known for their realism and their Victorian settings; her novels include The Warden's Niece (1957) and The Elephant War (1960), both set in Oxford; other works include a history of girls’ schools, The Best Type of Girl (1991).
ENID BLYTON (1897-1968) (married names Pollock and Waters, aka Mary Pollock)
	Hugely prolific and successful children's author; although much of her work is for young children, she also published several series of novels, including the St. Malory's school novels (1941-45), a mystery series starting with The Rockingdown Mystery (1949), and the "Secret Seven" series (1949-63).
ANN BULLINGHAM (????-1967) (pseudonym of Ann Miles Jones)
	Author of three children's novels about Penelope and friends in the English countryside, including Penelope (1953), Penelope and Curlew (1957), and Summer on the Hills (1960).
ESMĖ CARTMELL (dates unknown)
	Apparently the author of only one novel, Rescue in Ravensdale (1946), a children's holiday adventure intriguingly set in the days leading up to WWII and in part satirizing some of the most stereotypical elements of children's adventure stories.
MARGARET LEVESON GOWER (1903-1964)
	More research needed; author of three titles, the first of which, Chuckles: The Story of a Small Boy (1927), may be a children’s book; The Fighting Six (1929) and The Good Detectives (1931) might also be for children or be mysteries or adventure stories.
ELEANOR EDITH HELME (c1888-1967)
	Journalist and writer on golf for women, Helme is best known now for her series of children's books about Exmoor ponies, including Mayfly the Grey Pony (1935), Runaway Mike (1936), Shank's Pony (1946), Suitable Owners (1948), White Winter (1949), and Dear Busybody (1950).
KATHERINE WRIGHT LATHAM (1871-1941) (aka Mrs. Albert G. Latham)
	Author of children’s fiction—initially for younger readers, but later work includes novels such as The Young Crofters (1920), A Summer at “The Barn” (1923), and Those Two and the Queer Folk (1928).
ALICE MASSIE (1884-1961)
	Beginning as a children’s writer, with titles like Two in a Tangle (1909) and Pavement Island (1925), Massie later wrote several novels, including Unresting Year (1926), The Blessed Roof-Tree (1927), The Cotswold Chronicle (1930), Crossings (1932), and The Wicked Captain (1933).
DOROTHY SEVERN (c1892-1950)
	A relative of artist Joseph Severn and headmistress for many years at the Norton Church of England School in Letchworth, Severn published one book of poems, Beggar's Garden (1935), and one children's historical novel, Kerin the Watcher: An Ancient Tale of the Chiltern Borderland (1947).
BARBARA SLEIGH (1906-1982) (married name Davis)
	Author of children's picture books and novels, including the Carbonel series beginning with Carbonel: The King of the Cats (1955) and the time travel story Jessamy (1967); other works include The Patchwork Quilt (1956), No One Must Know (1962), and a memoir, The Smell of Privet (1971).
BRENDA ELIZABETH SPENDER (1884-1967) (aka Elizabeth Steward)
	Author of several children’s titles, including Mock Uncle (1932) and a short series of books about “On’y Tony” and his horses (1935-38); Spender also wrote one novel for adults, The Unlikely Wooing (1932).
NITA UNTHANK (1901-1966)
	More research needed; author of three children’s books which could be girls’ school stories—From Rebels to Helpmates (1949), Robina's Secret (1951), and Because of Berry (1955).