▁Down er ▁( 1 9 6 0 – 2 0 1 5 ) ▁was ▁an ▁American ▁writer , ▁princip ally ▁of ▁fant asy ▁nov els ▁for ▁children ▁and ▁young ▁adult s , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁short ▁fiction ▁and ▁poetry . ▁ ▁Biography ▁▁ ▁Ann ▁Down er ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Ar ling ton , ▁Virginia ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 0 ▁and ▁grew ▁up ▁in ▁Man ila ▁and ▁Bang k ok ▁and ▁re called ▁av id ly ▁reading ▁fant asy ▁fiction . ▁ ▁Her ▁first ▁published ▁work ▁was ▁a ▁tr il ogy ▁published ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 8 0 s ▁and ▁early ▁ 1 9 9 0 s ▁( The ▁Sp ell key , ▁The ▁G lass ▁Sal am ander , ▁and ▁The ▁Books ▁of ▁the ▁Keep ers ), ▁collected ▁in ▁a ▁re vised ▁edition ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 5 ▁as ▁The ▁Sp ell key ▁Tr il ogy . ▁A ▁second ▁series ▁for ▁middle - grade ▁readers , ▁begun ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 3 ▁with ▁the ▁novel ▁H atch ing ▁Magic , ▁continues ▁with ▁The ▁Dragon ▁of ▁Never - W as ▁( 2 0 0 6 ). ▁The ▁Sp ell key ▁series ▁is ▁high ▁fant asy , ▁taking ▁place ▁wh olly ▁in ▁an ▁invent ed ▁world ▁and ▁chron ic ling ▁a ▁good - vers us - ev il ▁story ▁of ▁two ▁found lings , ▁a ▁stable boy ▁and ▁an ▁o stra ci zed ▁se er . ▁H atch ing ▁Magic ▁and ▁its ▁sequ el , ▁The ▁Dragon ▁of ▁Never -