Maria Gill facts for kids

Maria Gill is a super talented writer from New Zealand. She writes amazing non-fiction books especially for kids and young adults. Her books often win cool awards! For example, her book Anzac Heroes won the top prize, called the Supreme Book of the Year, at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in 2016. Maria lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

About Maria Gill's Life

Maria Gill was born in October 1961 in Auckland, New Zealand. She went to school in Auckland and also in Southport, Australia. For a while, her family traveled around Australia in a caravan. During this time, Maria studied using special lessons sent by mail.

After school, Maria tried out many different jobs. She worked as a barmaid, a nanny, a shepherdess, and even picked grapes! She did these jobs while traveling to exciting places like England, India, Nepal, and China.

When she came back to New Zealand, Maria went to university. She studied at the University of Auckland and Auckland College of Education. She earned a degree in Education and a teaching diploma. After that, she taught in primary and intermediate schools for about ten years. Later, she also studied journalism at Massey University. In 2021, Maria earned a master's degree from Auckland University of Technology.

Maria wanted to be a writer ever since she was a child. She started writing seriously when her own children were young. She loves to write about New Zealand's native animals, protecting nature, history, and stories about people and war. She has also written many books and learning materials for schools.

Maria has shared her writing knowledge with others. In 2013 and 2014, she taught a course about writing for children at Massey University. She also helped create an online course called "Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest." This course was for the Commonwealth Education Trust.

Maria also helped organize two special exhibitions about children's books related to war. One was called "What Lies Beneath" and traveled around New Zealand. The other, "Anzac Stories: Behind the Pages," was shown in libraries in Australia.

Maria often visits schools as part of the "Writers in Schools" program. She is also a popular speaker at book festivals. She has spoken at big events like the SCBWI conference in Sydney and the Auckland Writers Festival. She gives talks and workshops for different speaker groups in New Zealand and Australia.

Awards and Special Mentions

Many of Maria Gill's books have been recognized as "Storylines Notable Books." This means they are considered some of the best books published for children in New Zealand. Her books have also been nominated for important awards like the LIANZA Elsie Locke Non-Fiction Award and the New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards.

Her book New Zealand Hall of Fame won the Children's Choice Award in 2012. This award is special because kids themselves voted for their favorite non-fiction book!

In 2016, her book Anzac Heroes won two big awards. It won the Elsie Locke Award for Non-Fiction and the top prize, the Supreme Book of the Year, at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.

In 2020, Maria received the Margaret Mahy Medal. This is a very important award that celebrates her amazing contribution to children's literature throughout her career.