Although Monica Furlong is perhaps best known as a broadcaster and a writer of adult nonfiction--including several biographies and a number of works on philosophical, spiritual, and feminist issues--she has also written novels for both adults and young adults. Well known as a religious writer, her topics range from the crisis in the Church of England to the nineteenth-century Catholic saint, Therese of Lisieux. Writing in New Statesman, Anthony Howard noted, "Furlong has been writing about church matters for almost as long as I remember." However, in the United States, Furlong is far better known for her three young adult novels, Wise Child and its sequel, Juniper, as well as her Robin Hood tale, Robin's Country.

Born in Harrow, Middlesex, England, in 1930, Furlong was educated at University College, London, and was married in 1953. A career in London journalism spanned the mid-1950s to 1968. She also worked as a...