Alice Hale Burnett was an American author of children's books. She is best known for writing books set in a small town called Merryvale. The adventures of "Toad" and "Chuck" Brown, "Fat, " "Reddy" are told by Burnett in a series of books called The Merryvale Boys. Titles in the series include: Circus Day at Merryvale, Father Brown's Indian Tale, The Picnic at Merryvale, Christmas Holidays in Merryvale, Merryvale Boys on the Farm and Hallowe'en at Merryvale (1916). According to the description on the books, this series portrays a boy's life in a small town America. In The Merryvale Girl series, Burnett tells the experiences of Beth, Mary and Jerry. Titles of books in the series include: Beth's Garden Party, A Day at the County Fair, Geraldine's Birthday Surprise and Mary Entertains the Sewing Club.