Margaret Mahy

One of the world’s top children’s authors, New Zealander Margaret Mahy, has died. She was 76 years old.

You’ve probably read loads of her books – she was really well known in New Zealand. But did you know that she was just as popular in other countires? Margaret’s writing is so good she has won some of the world’s top prizes for books and authors. She has had more than 200 books published and some have even been translated into other languages. 

Lots of people don’t realise that Margaret Mahy was a librarian for many years. She worked in libraries in Wellington and Christchurch, and spent many years helping support school libraries too.

Here’s some of my favourite Margaret Mahy books:

The boy who bounced and other magic tales

Magic, ghosts and witches! Short stories and magical tales to enjoy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Haunting

After a shy eight-year-old called Barney begins receiving frightening supernatural images and messages, he learns about a family legacy which could be considered a curse or a rare gift. This great story won Margaret Mahy the Carnegie Medal in 1982 – which means you should read it!

 

 

 

 

 

Down the back of the chair

Where do things go when they get lost? Maybe down the back of the chair? Have a look -you’d be surprised at what can be found down there…  A great rhyming story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dark blue 100-ride bus ticket

When Carlo and his mother, Jessica, accept a free bus ticket from a strange old woman in the supermarket, they are really only being polite. Secretly they think she must be slightly batty, with her talk about hundred free bus rides to the supermarket at the end of the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

The word witch

 A magical collection of Margaret Mahy’s verse and poems with really great illustrations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maddigan’s Fantasia

 Set in a post-apocalyptic time, Garland Maddigan’s family is part of a travelling circus called Maddigan’s Fantasia. Read about how she mets time travellers from the future who are trying to save her world. This book is so good they turned it into a TV series.

 

 

 

 

 

A Lion in the meadow

The book that started it all – this was Margaret Mahy’s first book, published in 1969