Mary Hoffman facts for kids

Mary Hoffman, born in 1945, is a British writer. She has written over 90 books for both kids and adults. One of her most famous books is the children's story Amazing Grace. This book was a huge success, selling 1.5 million copies and becoming a New York Times best-seller. It was also a finalist for the 1991 Kate Greenaway Medal, which is a big award for children's book illustrations. From 2002 to 2012, she wrote the popular teen fiction series Stravaganza.

Mary Hoffman's Early Life and Education

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

School and University

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

Working with Books and Libraries

In 1998, Mary Hoffman was honored by the Library Association. This was for her important work with children and schools. She also worked at the Open University for almost five years. There, she helped create courses for teachers about reading and children's books. For 18 years, she was a reading expert for the BBC Schools TV show Look and Read. She wrote the teaching scripts for the show. Since the mid-1990s, she has been a full-time writer and journalist.

Family Life and Interests

Mary Hoffman lives with her husband, Stephen Barber. They married in 1972. In 2001, she moved from London to West Oxfordshire. They have three daughters, and one of them, Rhiannon Lassiter, is also a writer. Mary often works in Italy and speaks Italian. She has also taught about Latin and Anglo-Saxon languages. Mary Hoffman writes for two blogs: Book Maven and The History Girls. In 2016, Mary and Stephen started their own book publishing company called The Greystones Press.

Mary Hoffman's Books and Stories

Mary Hoffman's first book, White Magic, was published in 1975. She has written 24 picture books, including the Amazing Grace series.

The Amazing Grace Series

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

Teen Fiction and Historical Novels

Later, Mary Hoffman started writing more books for teenagers. She became well-known for her Stravaganza series. Her historical novel, The Falconer's Knot, won a French award called Prix Polar Jeunesse. It was also a finalist for The Guardian Children's Book Award.

Retelling Classic Stories

Mary Hoffman has also rewritten many myths, legends, fairy tales, and Bible stories. One of her books, Women of Camelot, tells the famous King Arthur stories from the point of view of the female characters. She has also put together collections of stories. For example, Lines in the Sand (2003) was a response to the war in Iraq. All the money raised from this book went to UNICEF to help children in Iraq. In 2011, she was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which is a very important award for children's and young adult literature. Mary Hoffman has also written books for adults under different names, like Amy Lovell and Suzy Cavendish.