Janet Taylor Lisle


Janet Taylor Lisle was an American author of children's books and young adult novels that range between fantasy and reality.

Early years

Lisle was born on February 13, 1947, 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.

Higher education, career, and life

Lisle attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and graduated in 1969 with a degree in English. Following graduation, she married and joined VISTA 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 Applesap, was inspired by her own childhood memories. Following this book, she continued to write for a diverse audience and produced over seventeen children and young adult books, as well as several works of history for adults.
Lisle lived on the Rhode Island coast with her husband, Richard Lisle. She died in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 5, 2023, at the age of 76.

Works

The Dancing Cats of Applesap, illustrated by Joelle Shefts, Bradbury Press, 1984.Sirens and Spies, Bradbury Press, 1985.The Great Dimpole Oak, illustrated by Stephen Gammell, Orchard Books, 1987.Afternoon of the Elves, Orchard Books, 1989.The Lampfish of Twill, illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, Orchard Books, 1991.Forest, Orchard Books, 1993.The Gold Dust Letters, Orchard Books, 1994.Looking for Juliette, Orchard Books, 1994.A Message from the Match Girl, Orchard Books, 1995.Angela's Aliens, Orchard Books, 1996.The Lost Flower Children, Philomel Books, 1999.The Art of Keeping Cool, Atheneum, 2000.How I Became a Writer and Oggie Learned to Drive, Philomel Books, 2002.The Crying Rocks, Atheneum, 2003Black Duck, Penguin Group, 2007Highway Cats, Penguin Group, 2008Quicksand Pond, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Selected awards