People like Janet Taylor Lisle

Janet Taylor Lisle (born 1947) is an American author of children's books and young adult novels that range between fantasy and reality.

Lisle was born in Englewood, New Jersey. She grew up in rural Farmington, Connecticut, and spent her summers in Rhode Island. Growing up with four younger brothers, Lisle and the rest of her siblings were all passionate readers. She was educated at local schools until age fifteen when she entered the Ethel Walker School, a girl's boarding school in Simsbury, Connecticut.

Lisle attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and graduated in 1969 with a degree in English. Following graduation, she married and joined VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1971, she returned to college at Georgia State University to take journalism classes. After an internship at the Atlanta Journal/Constitution, she worked as a reporter for local newspapers in the Atlanta area and later in Westchester County, New York. With a new marriage and the birth of her daughter in 1977, Lisle changed her career path and began to write children's books at home. Her first book, The Dancing Cats of Appelsap, was inspired by her own childhood memories. Following this book, she has continued to write for a diverse audience and produced over sixteen novels as well as several works of history for adults.