Charlotte Bronte (1816--1855) was born in Yorkshire. She was the third of six children and the oldest of the three well-known novelist and poet Bronte sisters. Bronte published several novels; however Jane Eyre remains her most famous literary work. American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832--1888) is most famous for the novel Little Women, a semi-autobiographical tale, set in Alcott's childhood home of Concord, Massachusetts. Throughout her lifetime, Alcott published more than 30 books and collections of stories. Jane Austen (1775--1817) is one of the most celebrated authors of the English language. Her fiction is known for its witty satires on English society. Austen wrote anonymously during her life and wasn't widely recognized as a great English writer until after her death in 1817. Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849--1924) was an English playwright and author. She is best known for her children's stories, in particular The Secret Garden (published in 1911), A Little Princess (published in 1905), and Little Lord Fauntleroy (published in 1885--86). She was born in Cheetham, England and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling near Knoxville, Tennessee. Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874--1942) was a Canadian author best known for her series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, which was an immediate success. The first novel was followed by a series of sequels with Anne as the central character. Montgomery went on to publish 20 novels as well as 500 short stories and poems. She was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada.