Gail Carson Levine
| Gail Carson Levine | |
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| Born |
September 17, 1947 New York, New York |
| Alma mater | City College of New York |
| Genre | Young adult literature |
| Notable works | Ella Enchanted |
| Notable awards | Newbery Honor |
| Spouse | David Levine (m. 1967) |
| Website | |
| gailcarsonlevine |
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Gail Carson Levine (born September 17, 1947) is an American author of young adult books. Her first novel, Ella Enchanted, received a Newbery Honor in 1998.
Levine grew up in New York City, New York. She credits her parents David and Sylvia for her creative streak. Her father, whose childhood in an orphanage provided inspiration for her story Dave at Night, owned a commercial art studio, and her mother was a teacher who wrote plays for her students to perform. Her older sister, Rani, her senior by five years, became a painter.
As a child, Levine read avidly; her favorite book was James M. Barrie's Peter Pan, and she also enjoyed the works of Louisa May Alcott and L. M. Montgomery. She initially aspired to be an actress and painter, and participated in theater troupes before losing interest in acting.
In 1967, she married David Levine. She majored in philosophy at New York’s City College, where she received her B.A. in 1969. She spent the next 27 years working for the government of the state of New York, mainly as a welfare administrator, helping people find jobs. She also has an Airedale Terrier named Reggie.
After taking a class in writing and illustrating for children, Levine discovered that she enjoyed writing far more than illustrating. Thus in 1987, she began writing, but over the next nine years, all of her manuscripts were rejected. During this time she took writing classes and joined writer's groups. Reflecting on her experiences, Levine says "those years were some of my happiest. I was learning to write."
Her first published novel was Ella Enchanted, which was accepted for publication by HarperTrophy. Levine recalls, "That day, April 17, 1996, was one of the happiest in my life." The book was published in 1997, and in 1998, it received a Newbery Honor. It would later be the inspiration for the 2004 film of the same name. The success of Ella Enchanted made it possible for Levine to retire from government work and pursue writing full-time.
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