Eleanor Cameron
Eleanor Cameron was a Canadian author known for her contributions to children's and young adult literature. Born to Henry and Florence Lydia Butler, she later married Ian Stuart Cameron and had one son. Her educational background includes attendance at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Art Center School in Los Angeles. Cameron worked in various librarian roles, significantly in the Literature Department of the Los Angeles Public Library and for the Board of Education Library.
Her literary career began in 1950 with the publication of her first novel for adults, followed by her acclaimed juvenile novel, *The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet*, in 1954. This work launched a five-volume series featuring two boys who embark on adventurous journeys to a fantastical planet. Cameron also created a series centered on a young writer, Julia Redfern, exploring themes of adolescence and familial relationships. Throughout her career, she received several accolades, including the Mystery Writers of America Award and the National Book Award. Cameron was also actively involved in literary organizations such as PEN International. She passed away in 1996, leaving behind a legacy of imaginative storytelling.
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Eleanor Cameron
Author
- Born: March 23, 1912
- Birthplace: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Died: October 11, 1996
- Place of death: Monterey, California
Biography
Eleanor Cameron was born in Canada to Henry and Florence Lydia Butler. She married Ian Stuart Cameron, a printer and publisher, in 1934, and they had a boy. She attended the University of California, Los Angeles, from 1931 to 1933. She also attended the Art Center School, Los Angeles, for one year.
From 1930 to 1936, Cameron worked as a clerk in the Literature Department of the Los Angeles Public Library. Then, from 1936 to 1942, she worked for the Board of Education Library in Los Angeles. She later worked for many different companies as a research librarian or corporate librarian.
In 1950, she published her first novel for adults, The Unheard Music. Her first juvenile novel, The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, was published in 1954, and began the five-volume Mushroom Planet series. The series follows two young boys, David and Tom, as they travel to Mushroom Planet Basidium, often with a scientist named Mr. Bass. The two boys carry out daring deeds to defend the Mushroom People from the wily Prewytt Brumblydge. The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet begins with the two boys answering an ad (placed by Mr. Bass) in a local paper requesting help building a spaceship. When they finish building the ship, Mr. Bass sends them to Basidium-X, a small satellite of the earth. This classic book has been praised for its blend of fantasy and attention to scientific detail.
In her second series, Cameron wrote about a young writer named Julia Redfern. Cameron introduced Julia in A Room Made of Windows, in which the young protagonist struggles to become a writer like her late father. The book and its series have been praised for sensitively addressing adolescence and its complex relationships.
Cameron received the Mystery Writers of America Award in 1964 for A Spell Is Cast. In 1974, she won the National Book Award for The Court of the Stone Children, and she was a runner-up for the National Book Award in 1976 for To the Green Mountains. Cameron was a member of PEN International, Authors Guild, and Authors League of America. She died in 1996.