List of works by Margaret Mahy facts for kids

Margaret Mahy, with her characteristic rainbow wig, at the Kaiapoi Club, 2011

Margaret Mahy was a super creative writer from New Zealand. She wrote over 100 picture books, 40 novels, and 20 collections of short stories. Her books are loved by kids and teens all around the world because they are full of magic, adventure, and sometimes a little bit of spooky fun!

Discover Margaret Mahy's Books

Margaret Mahy wrote many different kinds of books, from funny picture books for younger kids to exciting novels for teens. She won many awards for her stories, showing how special her writing was.

Award-Winning Stories

Some of Margaret Mahy's books won really important awards. These awards show that her stories were considered some of the best in children's literature.

• A Lion in the Meadow (1969): This picture book won the Esther Glen Award in 1970. It's about a boy who says there's a lion in the meadow, and his mother gives him a tiny dragon to scare it away.
• The Dragon of an Ordinary Family (1969): The illustrator, Helen Oxenbury, won the Greenaway Medal for her amazing pictures in this book.
• The First Margaret Mahy Story Book (1972): This collection of stories also won the Esther Glen Award in 1973.
• The Haunting (1982): This novel won the famous Carnegie Medal in 1982 and the Esther Glen Award in 1983. It's a spooky story about a boy who feels like he's being haunted.
• The Changeover: a Supernatural Romance (1984): Another Carnegie Medal winner (1984) and Esther Glen Award winner (1985). This book is a supernatural romance for older teens.
• The Catalogue of the Universe (1985): This novel won the Phoenix Award in 2005, which is given to books that were published 20 years earlier and are still considered excellent.
• The Tricksters (1986): This book was recognized as an Honor Book at the Phoenix Awards in 2006.
• Memory (1987): This book won the Phoenix Award in 2007.
• Under-runners (1992): This book won the Esther Glen Award in 1993.
• A Summery Saturday Morning (1998): This picture book won Book of the Year and the Picture Book category at the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards in 1999.
• 24 hours (2000): This novel won the Esther Glen Award and an Honour Award in the Senior Fiction category at the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards in 2001.
• Alchemy (2002): This book won the Senior Fiction category at the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards in 2003.
• Bubble Trouble (2008): This picture book won the Picture Book award at the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards in 2009.
• The Moon and Farmer McPhee (2010): This book won the Book of the Year Award and the Picture Book category at the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards in 2011.

Popular Picture Books

Margaret Mahy wrote many fun and imaginative picture books. Here are a few examples:

• The Witch in the Cherry Tree (1974)
• The Boy Who was Followed Home (1975)
• Non-stop Nonsense (1977)
• The Great White Man-Eating Shark: A Cautionary Tale (1989)
• The Rattlebang Picnic (1994)
• Simply Delicious! (1999)
• Dashing Dog! (2002)
• Down the Back of the Chair (2006)

Novels for Young Adults

For older readers, Margaret Mahy wrote novels that explored deeper themes and exciting adventures.

• Raging Robots and Unruly Uncles (1981)
• The Pirates' Mixed-up Voyage: Dark Doings in the Thousand Islands (1983)
• Aliens in the Family (1986)
• The Blood-and-thunder Adventure on Hurricane Peak (1989)
• Dangerous Spaces (1991)
• The Other Side of Silence (1995)
• The Horribly Haunted School (1997)
• A Villain's Night Out (1999)
• The Riddle of the Frozen Phantom (2001)
• Maddigan's Fantasia (2005): This book was also known as Maddigan's Quest.
• Kaitangata Twitch (2005)
• Portable Ghosts (2006)
• The Magician of Hoad (2008): Also known as Heriot.
• The Dark Blue 100-ride Bus Ticket (2009)
• Organ Music (2010)

Margaret Mahy on Television

Many of Margaret Mahy's stories and ideas were turned into television shows and films, bringing her magical worlds to life on screen.

• Woolly Valley (1982): Margaret Mahy was the writer for this series.
• Cuckoo Land (1986): She was both the creator and writer for this show.
• The Haunting of Barney Palmer (1986): This television film was based on her 1982 novel, The Haunting.
• Aliens in the Family (1987): This series was based on her novel of the same name.
• Strangers (1989): Margaret Mahy created and wrote this series, which won a Gold Medal at the 1990 New York Film Festival.
• The Magical World of Margaret Mahy (1994): This series was based on her creations and stories.
• Maddigan's Quest (2005): Margaret Mahy was the creator and writer for this TV series, which was released at the same time as her novel Maddigan's Fantasia. It won several awards for Best Children's Programme.
• Kaitangata Twitch (2010): This series was based on her novel and won awards like Best Children's/Youth Programme at the 2011 Aotearoa Film & Television Awards. Margaret Mahy even had a small role in one episode!

See also

• List of children's literature authors