Jeannette Eyerly

Who was Jeannette Eyerly?

Jeannette Eyerly was a writer of Young-adult fiction for girls and a columnist. She was a pioneer in dealing with controversial topics in novels for young people. Among the themes that appeared in her books were teenage pregnancy, alcohol abuse, and drug use. She penned eighteen novels, starting with More Than a Summer Love in 1962, though she had published many short stories before that. Her 1977 novel, He's My Baby, Now was the basis for an ABC television movie. She also wrote two books of verse.

Born Jeannette Hyde in Topeka, Kansas to Robert Cornelius Hyde and Mabel Jeannette Young, she married Frank Eyerly in 1932. Eyerly earned a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Iowa in 1930. Her papers are archived at the University of Iowa.