Birthdays: John Milton (1608), Joel Chandler Harris (1845), Jean de Brunhoff (1899), Dalton Trumbo (1905), Eloise Jarvis McGraw (1915), Joan Blos (1928), Ashleigh Brilliant (1933), Joe McGinniss (1942), Joanna Trollope (1943), Eileen Myles (1949), Ann Hood (1956)

John Milton is best known for his book “Paradise Lost”.

Joel Harris is a folklorist who collected the Uncle Remus stories.

Jean de Brunhoff created the Babar children’s books.

Dalton Trumbo was involved in breaking the blacklists of the 1950s McCarthysim.

Eloise McGraw was a three-time Newbery Award winner.

Joan Blos won a National Book Award and Newbery Medal for her 1979 book “A Gathering of Days”.

Quotes: “When one man says, ‘No, I won’t.’ Rome begins to fear.” – Dalton Trumbo

“A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit.” – John Milton

“In the library I was handed a blueprint on how to live the mysterious, unnameable, big dream life I wanted. I was handed books. And through reading them, I grew up to find that very life.” – Ann Hood

“The closest you will ever come in this life to an orderly universe is a good library.” – Ashleigh Brilliant

Tip: When writing fantasy or science fiction, don’t make up impossible-to-pronounce names. If your reader has trouble figuring it out, you’ve lost them.

Jumpstart: He had to arrest her. He had no choice, even though he knew she was innocent. Someone like her couldn’t have…