Hunt wins Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal 2017

Children’s novelist Des Hunt has received the 2017 Storylines Margaret Mahy Medal, presented annually for an outstanding contribution and lifetime achievement in the field of New Zealand children’s literature and literacy.

Hunt is the author of more than 20 children’s and YA novels, beginning with A Friend in Paradise in 2001. He retired from teaching in 2007 to concentrate on his work as an author.

Storylines chair Libby Limbrick said Hunt’s ‘greatest contribution is his ability to “hook” young people into reading through his riveting stories situated in familiar contexts, with characters similar to their friends and families’. ‘His school presentations make children feel that books are pivotal to their lives,’ said Limbrick.

Storylines promotes the development of children’s and young adult literature in New Zealand and has operated as New Zealand’s national section of International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) since 2001. For more information, click here.

Category: Junior Local news