Helen Fern Daringer was born in 1892 in eastern Illinois. Independent and way ahead of her time, Ms. Daringer graduated from Eastern Illinois University, obtained a Master's Degree in English, and headed to New York City, where she became a professor of English literature at Columbia University. Miss Daringer wrote numerous books for children and young adults, including "Country Cousin," "The Turnabout Twins," and "Mary Montgomery, Rebel."