Meet Lois Gladys Leppard

Many authors start writing young, although their books never see the light of day in the publishing world. Not so for Lois Gladys Leppard, author of the beloved Mandie series, who wrote the first book in the series, Mandie and the Secret Tunnel, when she was only 11 years old! Lois later studied at the New York School of Music and the Voice Beautiful Institute in New York. She has also been a professional singer, written several plays and been employed by Columbia Pictures.

Mandie and the Secret Tunnel, was published in 1985, and the series has been going strong ever since. With over 6 million copies in print, the series is currently comprised of 36 books. The next two books, Mandie and the Night Thief, and Mandie and the Hidden Past, are due out shortly. Although these books are designed for girls ages 8-13, older girls (who also grew up with Mandie) continue to read the series as they come out, anxious to read what predicament befalls Mandie next.

In addition to the original Mandie series, Lois has written 8 books in the Young Mandie series, which follows Mandie through her life before we meet her in The Secret Tunnel. There are also several books about Mandie and her friends such as Mandie and Mollie and the Angel’s Visit (an Easter story), Mandie and Joe’s Christmas Surprise, and The Lily Adventures. More interactive books includeMandie’s Cookbook, The Mandie Diary, and The Mandie Datebook, which has some of the dates Mandie would want to remember, and blank pages to fill in.

Information from www.mandie.com. Posted May 2003.