Margaret Mahy (1936–2012)
Author of The Seven Chinese Brothers
About the Author
Margaret Mahy was born on March 21, 1936 in Whakatane, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. She received a B.A. degree from the University of New Zealand. She worked as a nurse, an assistant librarian, and a children's librarian in England and New Zealand. Her first book, A Lion in the Meadow, was published show more in 1969. She became a full-time author in 1980. During her lifetime, she wrote more than 120 children's books including The Haunting, The Changeover, Memory, The Seven Chinese Brothers, The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate and A Summery Saturday Morning. She won the Esther Glen Award five times, the Carnegie Medal of the British Library Association three times, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Hans Christian Andersen Award, and in 1999, she won the New Zealand Post Children's Book Award in two categories, Picture Book and Supreme Award. She died after a brief illness on July 23, 2012 at the age of 76. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Courtesy of Allen and Unwin
Series
Works by Margaret Mahy
Ultra-violet catastrophe! Or, The unexpected walk with Great-Uncle Magnus Pringle (1975) 79 copies, 4 reviews
Mahy Magic : a Collection of the Most Magical Stories from the Margaret Mahy Story Books (1986) 10 copies
The horrible story and others : a collection of stories from the Margaret Mahy story books (1987) 7 copies
La bibliotecaria rapita 2 copies
Braille at Bedtime : Chibbawokki rain and The Girl with the Green Ear Number 2 (1 vol Stock no.175) 2 copies
The Old Bus 1 copy
my wonderful aunt story one 1 copy
Sunshine Books Set (The Mad Puppet, Tai Taylor is Born, Mr. Rumfitt, The Haunting of Miss Cardamon) 1 copy
Look Under V 1 copy
Mr Rooster's Dilemma 1 copy
An troid ar an chnoc 1 copy
Associated Works
Are Angels OK?: The Parallel Universes of New Zealand Writers and Scientists (2006) — Contributor — 15 copies, 1 review
Monsters in the Garden : An Anthology of Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction and Fantasy (2021) — Contributor — 9 copies
Writing at the Edge of the Universe: Essays From the Creative Writing in New Zealand Conference (2004) — Contributor — 5 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Mahy, Margaret
- Legal name
- Mahy, Margaret
- Birthdate
- 1936-03-21
- Date of death
- 2012-07-23
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- New Zealand
Aotearoa - Birthplace
- Whakatane, New Zealand
- Place of death
- Christchurch, New Zealand
- Places of residence
- Governor's Bay, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand
- Education
- Auckland University College
Canterbury University College (B.A. | 1955)
New Zealand Library School - Occupations
- librarian
writer-in-residence (Canterbury University ∙ 1984)
children's book author - Organizations
- Canterbury University
- Awards and honors
- Hans Christian Andersen Award (2006)
Member, Order of New Zealand
Honorary Doctorate ( [1985])
Artists to Antarctica (1998/99)
Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement (2005)
May Hill Arbuthnot Lecturer (1989) (show all 8)
Margaret Mahy Medal ( [1991])
Sir Julius Vogel Award (Services to Science Fiction and Fantasy ∙ 2006)
Members
Discussions
British YA novel from '80s - girl becomes a witch to save her little brother in Name that Book (February 2013)
RIP Margaret Mahy in The Green Dragon (August 2012)
YA Sci-fi/Fantasy Alchemist??? in Name that Book (August 2010)
Reviews
The Boy Who Made Things Up (Early Reader) by Margaret Mahy
If I have to, I should put it on wishlist, it got such high praise in Children's Books.
In a way, quite brilliant. Just the right amount of eerie mystery, and some nice family stuff, too. Who can forget the dad who cannot get around to finishing the work on the house, because (cue creepy music). And the names of the pets, Glorious, Taffeta, and Zeppelin.
Can't be read at a normal pace. Some bits are to savor, some bits challenge. Best read while awake, in big chunks, immersively.
LFL find that I might just have to reread. Even though I'm not fond of paranormal or ghost stories, personally.… (more)
Can't be read at a normal pace. Some bits are to savor, some bits challenge. Best read while awake, in big chunks, immersively.
LFL find that I might just have to reread. Even though I'm not fond of paranormal or ghost stories, personally.… (more)
Watched the 10 minute movie as part of Scholastic Storybook Treasures. Very cute. I wish there were words... I did catch, and appreciate, the use of 'sustained."
Ok, that's pretty darn cute. Avl. on openlibrary.org.
Btw, the reviewers who talk about a prowler or drifter are confused. It's always just the brother Danny. Mrs. Gimble is worried about the neighbors' "whispers" because she is attached to the idea of being respectable, and Danny has itchy feet and a weird hat and just doesn't "fit" Mrs. G's image as a member of her ideal family.
Btw, the reviewers who talk about a prowler or drifter are confused. It's always just the brother Danny. Mrs. Gimble is worried about the neighbors' "whispers" because she is attached to the idea of being respectable, and Danny has itchy feet and a weird hat and just doesn't "fit" Mrs. G's image as a member of her ideal family.
Lists
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 265
- Also by
- 25
- Members
- 11,922
- Popularity
- #1,968
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 373
- ISBNs
- 1,312
- Languages
- 16
- Favorited
- 25
