The Three Legged Cat

Margaret Mahy is internationally recognized as one of the greatest children’s authors of all time, with her books translated into all major languages. She was a two-time winner of the prestigious Carnegie Medal, a five-time winner of the Esther Glen Award, and a one-time winner of the Observer Teenage Fiction Award.

Born in rural New Zealand, Margaret was the eldest of five children and grew up with a strong sense of family. She passed away in 2012.

In 1936, the year Margaret Mahy was born, only four children’s books were published in New Zealand. Mahy significantly impacted children’s literature in her home country, authoring over 100 works, including poetry, picture books, novels for young adults, television scripts, and stories for magazines and newspapers.

Mahy’s vivid imagination made her school days interesting. After seeing “The Jungle Book,” she claimed to her classmates that she could communicate with animals. She began writing as a child, admitting to a desire to impress others with her notebooks.

She started writing children’s books seriously at eighteen while training as a librarian. Her breakthrough came in 1968 when an American publisher discovered “A Lion in the Meadow” and purchased her existing works. Eight of her books were released simultaneously. She became a full-time writer in 1980, publishing “The Haunting,” for which she received the Carnegie Medal, becoming the first non-UK author to do so. She won the award again two years later for “The Changeover.” In 1986, she received the IBBY Honour Book Award. In February 1993, Margaret was awarded New Zealand’s highest honor, The Order of New Zealand, and held an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Canterbury.

Margaret frequently visited schools and libraries, where she was a beloved and dynamic performer. She died on July 23, 2012.

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