Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924) was born in Manchester and moved to America in her teens, when her family fell on hard times. She began writing around the same time, publishing stories in magazines and helping to keep the household afloat with the money she earned. As well as her beloved novels for children, The Secret Garden, A Little Princess and Little Lord Fauntleroy, she wrote stage plays and novels for adults. Twice married and twice divorced, she had two sons and lived in Paris and Washington, DC, before settling in upstate New York, where she died.