Mary Downing Hahn

Mary Downing Hahn is a celebrated American author, best known for her children's and young adult novels that span various genres, including historical, contemporary, fantasy, and particularly ghost stories and mysteries. Hahn was born and raised in Maryland, where she still resides, and setting many of her books in this location. She has two adult daughters.

Hahn grew up in a small house in College Park, Maryland, where she was surrounded by a community full of children. They would spend hours playing games and going on adventures in the woods, creek, and farms nearby. From a young age, Hahn discovered her love for art and storytelling, often expressing herself through pictures rather than words. She was known as the class artist in elementary school and spent her time drawing and reading.

Hahn's interest in writing developed during her junior high school years when she wanted to explore more complex stories and showcase people's feelings, thoughts, and dialogues. However, she didn't like the strict requirements of writing reports and found it boring, similar to her disdain for math. Despite her early reservations, she decided to pursue writing and illustrating children's books as a career. In high school, Hahn kept a diary and wrote poetry and short stories in college. It wasn't until she was 41 years old that her first novel, "The Sara Summer," was published. Since then, she has written an average of one book per year, taking her time to develop plots, characters, and situations.

In summary, Mary Downing Hahn is a prolific and successful American author of children's and young adult novels. She has a strong connection to her home state of Maryland and has written many books set in this location. Hahn's love for storytelling and art began in her childhood, and she spent many years honing her craft before achieving success as a published author. Her work has sold over 2 million copies and has consistently won children's choice awards. Hahn is an avid reader, traveler, and lover of the arts, and she currently resides in Columbia, Maryland, with her two cats.