Cynthia Harnett was an English author and illustrator of children's books, mainly. She is best known for six historical novels that feature ordinary teen-age children in events of English national significance, four in the 15th century. They are characterised by meticulous background research and exceptionally detailed and vivid evocation of history. For one of them, The Wool-Pack, she won the 1951 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject. Another, The Load of Unicorn was a commended runner-up for the 1959 Carnegie.
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