Gloria Joan Skurzynski (born July 6, 1930) is an American writer of books for young people, including both fiction and non-fiction.
She disliked school, however, and dropped out to work as a statistical clerk at the U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh from 1950 to 1952.
Skyrzynski's first professional writing attempt was rejected 58 times before her first publication made it into Teen Magazine.
[1] In her writing, Skurzynski draws on her life experiences, including her father's stories and her own childhood in Pittsburgh.
[1] Many of her books include themes about national parks, astronomy, and animals.
[1] To write these books, Skurzynski did most of the technical research on the subjects, while her daughter wrote the dialogue.
In 2002, Skurzynski received two Golden Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America for Rockbuster.