When the publication of Little Women secured Louisa May Alcott's literary fame, she was well into her thirties. Who was she before that? And to what degree was her novel based on her own family? A tomboy as well as a ravenous reader, young Louisa May was greatly influenced by her father—philosopher Bronson Alcott—her mother, and, of course, her three sisters. Featuring unique indigo illustrations, Deborah Noyes's biography for readers 9 to 12 is a portrait of a remarkable young woman, and an account of how a timeless masterpiece was written.