Banks, Lynne Reid (1929–)

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Banks, Lynne Reid (1929–)

British novelist and children's writer. Name variations: Lynne Reid-Banks. Born July 31, 1929, in London, England; dau. of James Reid-Banks (physician) and Muriel (Marsh) Reid-Banks (actress); m. Chaim Stephenson (Israeli sculptor), 1965; children: 3.

Evacuated to Canada during WWII; worked as actress, secretary, journalist, and a scriptwriter for England's ITV News (1960s–70s); spent time in Israel (1960–72), which influenced several works; returned to England with family (1972); published The L-Shaped Room (1961), which was filmed with Leslie Caron (1962), followed by its sequels: The Backward Shadow (1971) and Two is Lonely (1974); other adult novels include An End to Running (1962) and Children at the Gate (1969); achieved greatest recognition for children and young adult novels, including Dark Quartet: The Story of the Brontës (1976), Melusine: A Mystery (1988) and The Indian in the Cupboard (1980), which was also filmed (1995), and its sequels. Received many awards for children's fiction.

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