' s ▁death ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 8 , ▁she ▁was ▁raised ▁by ▁her ▁pat ernal ▁grand m other ▁in ▁Han ley ▁F alls , ▁Minnesota . ▁She ▁finished ▁high ▁school ▁in ▁Min ne apolis , ▁and ▁attended ▁the ▁Min ne apolis ▁School ▁of ▁Art ▁from ▁ 1 9 3 6 ▁to ▁ 1 9 3 8 . ▁She ▁then ▁worked ▁as ▁a ▁li br arian ▁and ▁in ▁other ▁capac ities ▁near ▁Rich field , ▁Minnesota . ▁In ▁ 1 9 4 3 , ▁she ▁published ▁her ▁first ▁book ▁of ▁children ' s ▁fiction , ▁The ▁Model ▁Air plane ▁Myst ery . ▁St out enburg ▁later ▁wrote , ▁" After ▁publishing ▁in ▁many ▁mag az ines , ▁I ▁seriously ▁settled ▁down ▁to ▁writing ▁books ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 1 . ▁She ▁had ▁published ▁four ▁books ▁of ▁children ' s ▁fiction ▁by ▁ 1 9 5 6 , ▁when ▁she ▁moved ▁to ▁California ▁to ▁become ▁an ▁editor ▁at ▁Par n ass us ▁Press , ▁a ▁publish er ▁of ▁children ' s ▁literature . ▁She ▁held ▁the ▁position ▁at ▁Par n ass us ▁Press ▁until ▁ 1 9 5 8 . ▁Over ▁her ▁career , ▁St out enburg ▁published ▁about ▁forty ▁books ▁of ▁ju ven ile ▁fiction ▁and ▁non - f iction . ▁Several ▁of ▁the ▁works ▁were ▁co - author ed ▁with ▁Laura ▁Nelson ▁Baker , ▁with ▁whom ▁St out enburg ▁lived . ▁St out enburg ▁also ▁published ▁under ▁the ▁pseud onym s ▁Bar bie ▁Ar den , ▁L ace ▁K end