Frank L. Baum

Frank L. Baum (May 15, 1856 May 6, 1919) is one of America's most read authors, and he is widely considered one of the premier authors of children's books. Baum wrote dozens of novels and short stories, as well as hundreds of poems, and he even foresaw technological innovations such as computers, televisions and mobile phones, all of which made their way into his writing.

Although Frank L. Baum is best remembered as the author of the Wizard of Oz series of books, he also penned a variety of stories geared for young readers under various pen names. Mary Louise is part of Baum's Bluebird Books series, which centres on the exploits and triumphs of intrepid teen detective Mary Louise Burrows. There were ten books in the series but interestingly though she was created that way on the publisher's behest, Mary Louise proved "too tame" a character to drive the series forward and the less traditional Josie O'Gorman, girl agent, came to dominate more and more; and by the last three books had taken over the series.