Lucy Johnston Sypher
Encyclopedia
Lucy Johnston Sypher, - (December 1990), was the author of four children's books loosely based on her childhood in the small prairie
town of Wales, North Dakota
. The books in the series include: The Edge of Nowhere (1972), Cousins and Circuses (1974), The Spell of the Northern Lights (1975), and The Turnabout Year (1976).
family and their spoiled brother, who is nicknamed "The Prince of Wales," (which is a pun
on his tendency to cry easily as well as the name of the town.) She visits her big city cousins and is irritated by her mischievous older brother, Amory. The final book, The Turnabout Year, describes her mother's difficult recovery after the birth of her younger brother, George, and Lucy's decision to attend high school in Minneapolis. Sypher said when the books were published that the events described in the books were highly fictionalized.
in Grand Forks, North Dakota
in 1927 and received her master of arts degree
from Tufts University
in 1929. She married Wylie Sypher
in 1929. She was an instructor of English and history at Lasell Junior College
in Auburndale, Massachusetts
for a number of years before she published her first book. She and her husband raised their family in Massachusetts.
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
town of Wales, North Dakota
Wales, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 30 people, 18 households, and 7 families residing in the city. The population density was 127.3 people per square mile . There were 31 housing units at an average density of 131.5 per square mile...
. The books in the series include: The Edge of Nowhere (1972), Cousins and Circuses (1974), The Spell of the Northern Lights (1975), and The Turnabout Year (1976).
Her life as depicted in her books
In the books, she describes life in Wales as the daughter of George, the town banker, and Caroline, a church organist and music teacher from a cultured, well-educated big city family. In the books, eleven-year-old Lucy attends a small country school and befriends the three daughters of an English emigreeEnglish people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
family and their spoiled brother, who is nicknamed "The Prince of Wales," (which is a pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
on his tendency to cry easily as well as the name of the town.) She visits her big city cousins and is irritated by her mischievous older brother, Amory. The final book, The Turnabout Year, describes her mother's difficult recovery after the birth of her younger brother, George, and Lucy's decision to attend high school in Minneapolis. Sypher said when the books were published that the events described in the books were highly fictionalized.
Background
Sypher was raised in Wales, the daughter of George Johnston and Caroline Gale Johnston. She graduated from the University of North DakotaUniversity of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota is a public university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA. Established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of North Dakota, UND is the oldest and largest university in the state and enrolls over 14,000 students. ...
in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
in 1927 and received her master of arts degree
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in 1929. She married Wylie Sypher
Wylie Sypher
Feltus Wylie Sypher was an American non-fiction writer and professor.Sypher was born in Mount Kisco, New York to Harry Wylie Sypher and Martha Berry. He graduated from Amherst College in 1927. He received a master's degree from Tufts University in 1929 and became an instructor at Simmons College....
in 1929. She was an instructor of English and history at Lasell Junior College
Lasell College
Lasell College is a private, non-sectarian, coeducational college located in the Newton, Massachusetts village of Auburndale. Lasell offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the liberal arts and professional fields of study.-History:...
in Auburndale, Massachusetts
Auburndale, Massachusetts
Auburndale is one of the 13 villages of Newton, Massachusetts. It lies at the western end of Newton near the intersection of interstate highways 90 and 95, and is bisected by the Massachusetts Turnpike. Auburndale is surrounded by three other Newton villages as well as the city of Waltham and the...
for a number of years before she published her first book. She and her husband raised their family in Massachusetts.