Maureen Daly was one of the first authors whose work was aimed at a teenage audience. She is also a Scholastic Art & Writing Awards alum! Maureen won for her short story, Sixteen, in 1938. That same story was included in the 1938 O. Henry Collection, a rare honor for someone so young. She completed her first novel, Seventeenth Summer, before she was even twenty years old. Maureen also launched a teenage column for the Chicago Tribune, the first of its kind in the nation.

Maureen and her sisters were featured in Time Magazine as a quartet who were celebrated for their work in writing and fashion. Maureen married novelist William P. McGivern in 1947, and the pair went on to co-write “Mention My Name in Mombasa; the Unscheduled Adventures of an American Family Abroad,” an account of their many adventures living all around the globe, from Iceland to Nigeria. Maureen also worked at numerous newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times and Ladies’ Home Journal. Below, enjoy her Award-winning piece, Sixteen.