Margaret Sutton facts for kids
Margaret Sutton (born January 22, 1903 – died June 21, 2001) was the writing name for Rachel Beebe. She was an American author and teacher. Margaret Sutton is best known for writing the Judy Bolton Series of mystery books. There were 38 books in this series, published between 1932 and 1967. Besides the Judy Bolton series, she also wrote other popular books. These include the Gail Gardner series, The Magic Maker series, Palace Wagon Family, and Jemima, Daughter of Daniel Boone.
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About Margaret Sutton
Margaret Sutton was born Rachel Beebe on January 22, 1903. Her hometown was Odin, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Victor L. Beebe and Estella Andrews Beebe. Her father was a historian, musician, and carpenter. He also wrote a book called "The History of Potter County." Margaret grew up in Coudersport, Pennsylvania. She loved telling stories, a passion she learned from her mother. She also loved reading and history, likely from her father.
Margaret went to Rochester Business Institute in New York. She studied to become a stenographer, which is someone who takes notes quickly, often for legal or business meetings. After graduating, she worked as a secretary. Later, she became a printer. She also taught creative writing to adults. Many of her students became published authors themselves.
In 1924, she married William Henry Sutton. They had five children together. Her writing career began after she got married. She started by writing stories for William's daughter. These stories were published in "Picture World," a magazine for children. She used the name Rachel B. Sutton for these. She also wrote reviews for books.
In 1932, her first mystery book was published. It was called The Vanishing Shadow. This book was about a girl named Judy Bolton who solved mysteries. Margaret Sutton used her pen name, Margaret Sutton, for this book. William, her first husband, passed away in 1965. Ten years later, she married Everett Hunting.
Margaret Sutton and her first husband, William, helped start the South Nassau Unitarian Universalist Congregation. This church is in Freeport, N.Y.. Margaret was also active in social causes. She supported fair housing for everyone. She even took part in the famous "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" in 1963.
Margaret Sutton died at age 98 in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. Her name at that time was Margaret S. Hunting, from her second marriage. She passed away from natural causes.
Margaret Sutton also wrote a religious education program called "Letters to Live By." She never published it as a book. However, it was taught in several churches. After she died, two of her daughters, Lindsay Stroh and Marjorie Eckstein, updated the program. Marjorie also finished the illustrations for it.
The Judy Bolton Mystery Series
The very first Judy Bolton book, The Vanishing Shadow, came out in 1932. Margaret Sutton became most famous for writing this mystery series. More than five million copies of her Judy Bolton books were sold!
Margaret Sutton often said that her Judy Bolton books were based on real events from her own life. Many of the stories in the Judy Bolton series are set in her hometown, Coudersport, Pennsylvania.
Early Judy Bolton books had illustrations by Pelagie Doane. Pelagie Doane also illustrated Margaret Sutton's Magic Maker books.
The last Judy Bolton book Margaret Sutton published was The Secret of the Sand Castle in 1967. The series stopped in 1967. The next book, The Strange Likeness, was not published at that time.
However, in 1997, a new Judy Bolton mystery came out. It was called Judy Bolton: The Talking Snowman. Margaret Sutton started writing this book in 1980. Years later, Linda Joy Singleton helped her finish it. This book's story fit between the third and fourth books in the original series. Because of this, it is sometimes called book #3-1/2.
In 2012, Margaret Sutton's family gave permission for a new book. Coauthors Kate Duvall and Beverly Hatfield wrote The Strange Likeness. They based it on Margaret Sutton's original ideas. They also talked with the author and her family. Margaret Sutton's youngest daughter, Lindsay Sutton Stroh, edited the book. Another daughter, Marjorie Sutton Eckstein, did the illustrations. This book was published by Applewood Books. It is considered the 39th book in the Judy Bolton Mystery Series.
Other Books by Margaret Sutton
Margaret Sutton wrote many other books. These include the Gail Gardner series, Palace Wagon Family, Jemima, Daughter of Daniel Boone, and The Magic Maker series.
Margaret Sutton wrote all her own books. This is special because many other popular series books were written by different authors. For example, the Stratemeyer Syndicate used many writers for their series. Margaret Sutton holds the record for the longest-running mystery series for young people written by just one author.
Some of her books, like A Shepherd Boy of Australia and Two Boys of the Ohio Valley, included photographs as illustrations.
Books and Series by Margaret Sutton
- Judy Bolton Series (38 books, 1932-1967)
- Gail Gardner (2 books, 1944-?). These books were inspired by letters from her niece, Rosaleen Ingalls. Rosaleen was attending nursing school. Margaret Sutton's own experience as a Red Cross nurse's aide also inspired these stories.
- A Shepherd Boy of Australia (1941)
- Two Boys of the Ohio Valley (1943)
- The Magic Makers (at least 3 books, 1936)
- Wer spielt mit mir? (Released in the US as "Who will play with me?"; Illustrated by Corinne Dillon; Wonder Book, 1951/1958)
- Lollypop: The True Story of a Little Dog (1939)
- Jemima, Daughter of Daniel Boone (1942)
- The Haunted Apartment (1946)
- Who will play with me? (1951)
- Palace Wagon Family: A True Story of the Donner Party (1957)
- The Weed Walk (1965)
- Kay Darcy and the Mystery Hideout (published under the name Irene Ray), Whitman, 1937;
External Links
- Margaret Sutton's obituary [1]
- Judy Bolton home page [2]
