“Miss Vesper Holly has the digestive talents of a goat and the mind of a chess master. She is familiar with half a dozen languages and can swear fluently in all of them. She understands the use of a slide rule but prefers doing calculations in her head. She does not hesitate to risk life and limb- mine as well as her own. No doubt she has other qualities as yet undiscovered. I hope not.”

American author

Lloyd Alexander was an American author of children’s and young adult fantasy fiction. He lived from 1924 to 2007 and wrote over a long career that spanned seven decades. He is best known for The Chronicles of Prydain, a five-book high fantasy series. His work includes more than 40 books, with 48 written across his career, and it was translated into 20 languages. The final volume of The Chronicles of Prydain, The High King, won the 1969 Newbery Medal. He also received U.S. National Book Awards in 1971 and 1982.