Called "one of the most versatile, popular, and critically acclaimed children's writers of the twentieth century" by Joel D. Chaston in the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Susan Cooper is considered an exceptional author for the young whose works--fantasy novels and realistic fiction for young adults and stories and picture books for children--reflect her keen insight into human nature, her knowledge of folklore, history, and archaeology, and her ability to evoke place with authenticity. Credited with a rich, poetic literary style, Cooper is also well regarded as a writer of fiction, nonfiction, and plays for adult readers.

Characteristically, Cooper draws on the myths and legends of the British Isles as the basis for her works, and she is often praised for her ability to mesh the real and the fantastic, the ancient and the contemporary. She is best known as the creator of "The Dark Is Rising" series, a...