About+the+Author

Ellen Raskin

Ellen was born on March 13, 1928. She was a beautiful little girl. Ellen was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

While Ellen was growing up she realized that she was in the Depression era. Though she was in the Depression, Ellen still had happy times with her family. Every year her family had a picnic with 50 relatives. She was described by her family with having straight, dark hair and bad tap-dancing skills. Ellen was seventeen in the year 1945. She was ready to enter college. She entered into the University of Madison and had a major interest in journalism.

Throughout the years she wrote, illustrated, and designed many children’s books. She started writing in 1966. In 1978 she received the Boston Globe-Horn book Best Fiction Award for The Westing Game. Over the years Ellen wrote more books and won more awards.

Ellen married a man named Dennis Flanagan and they had a little girl named Susan. On August 8, 1984 beloved Ellen Raskin passed away.