Mary Hoffman facts for kids

Mary Hoffman (born in 1945) is a British author. She has written over 90 books. These books are for all ages, from young children to adults. One of her most famous books is Amazing Grace. This children's book sold over 1.5 million copies. It was also a finalist for the 1991 Kate Greenaway Medal. From 2002 to 2012, she wrote the popular teen series Stravaganza.

Early Life and Education

Mary Hoffman was born in Hampshire, England, in 1945. She was the youngest of three daughters. As a child, she loved visiting her father's office. He worked for the railway, and his office was underground.

Mary won a scholarship to James Allen's Girls' School in Dulwich. After that, she studied English at Newnham College at the University of Cambridge. She then spent two years studying Linguistics at University College London.

Working with Books and Libraries

In 1998, Mary Hoffman became an Honorary Fellow. This award was from the Library Association. She received it for her work with children and schools. She also worked at the Open University for almost five years. There, she helped create courses for teachers. These courses focused on reading and children's books.

For 18 years, Mary was a Reading Consultant for the BBC Schools TV show Look and Read. She wrote the teaching scripts for the program. Since the mid-1990s, she has been a full-time writer and journalist. She believes that the British Children's Laureate should help protect libraries. She was even nominated for this important role in 2011.

Personal Life

Mary Hoffman lives with her husband, Stephen Barber. They got married in 1972. In 2001, she moved from London to West Oxfordshire. They have three daughters. One of their daughters, Rhiannon Lassiter, is also a writer.

Mary often works in Italy and speaks Italian. She has also taught about Latin and Anglo-Saxon languages. She writes for two blogs: Book Maven and The History Girls. In 2016, Mary and Stephen started their own book publishing company. It is called The Greystones Press.

Mary Hoffman's Books

Mary Hoffman's first book, White Magic, came out in 1975. Another author, Richard Adams, suggested she publish it. She found a publisher, Rex Collings, after other companies said no. Mary has written 24 picture books. This includes the popular Amazing Grace series.

When Amazing Grace was first published, it won an award from Waldenbooks. The book was even made into a play by Shay Youngblood. It was also named one of the 50 best diverse children's books. The 2015 special edition of Amazing Grace has a message from LeVar Burton. The illustrator, Caroline Binch, used a family from Gambia as models for Grace and other characters. Mary said visiting them was her first trip to Africa.

Teen Fiction and Other Works

In recent years, Mary Hoffman has written more books for teens. She is well-known for her Stravaganza series. Her historical novel, The Falconer's Knot, won a French award. It was also nominated for The Guardian Children's Book Award.

Mary has also retold many myths, legends, and fairy tales. She has even retold nursery stories and stories from the Bible. One of her books, Women of Camelot, tells the King Arthur stories. But it tells them from the point of view of the female characters. She has also put together collections of stories. One example is Lines in the Sand (2003). This book was a response to the war in Iraq. All the money raised from it went to UNICEF in Iraq. In 2011, she was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This is a very important award for children's literature.

Mary Hoffman writes books for adults too. She sometimes uses different names for these books. Some of these names are Amy Lovell, Suzy Cavendish, and Mary Lassiter.