In the 1940s she was a New York Times bestselling author—of Mormon novels. In the 1950s she won a Newbery Medal, the highest honor in children’s literature. But today, hardly anyone knows her name.

Who is Virginia Sorensen? How did a girl who grew up in a tiny Utah town in the 1920s become a globetrotting, award-winning author? And why has she been forgotten?

Though she wrote them four generations ago, Sorensen’s novels are more urgent today than ever, addressing issues both Mormons and former Mormons grapple with. Her body of work is a treasure trove of insight, compassion, and storytelling waiting to be rediscovered.