Which author created the fictitious school called Plumfield?

Plumfield, or to give it its full name, Plumfield Estate School, features in the 1871 novel "Little Men" by the American author Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888). It is a sequel to "Jo's Boys" which is, in itself, a sequel to Alcott's most famous novel, "Little Women".

In the novel, Jo Bhaer, the former Jo March, and her husband Friedrich, open a school in a property that Jo has inherited from her aunt. The idea was foreshadowed in "Little Women".

Unlike many schools in 19th century fiction, Plumfield is far from being a Lowood or Dotheboys Hall, but a benign and progressive establishment that prides itself on helping and educating troubled and problematic boys. There are also two girls at the establishment, Jo's niece Daisy, and a little tomboy called Nan, who reminds Jo of herself as a little girl.

The book is a work of fiction, but draws on real life people and philosophies. Alcott's own father was a prominent educational reformer, and influenced in his turn by Henry David Thoreau.

Although it has been criticised as being over-sentimental, the book continues to be popular and has also been adapted for television and film.