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Irene Hunt

アイリーン・ハント

Airīn Hanto

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1903-05-18 （Pontiac, Illinois, United States）
Died
2001-05-18 age 98
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Pontiac, Illinois (birthplace) → Newton, Illinois (childhood) → Minneapolis (earned M.A.) → Vermillion, University of South Dakota (teaching) → Illinois (teaching and retirement)

Career

Occupations
children's author, teacher, novelist
Active Years
1924-1985
Nominations
1974 U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award

Education

University of Minnesota
Degree: M.A.
Country: United States
Earned an M.A. in Minneapolis; exact year not specified.

Awards

Newbery Honor Book
1965
Work: Across Five Aprils
Category: 児童文学
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), American Library Association
Result: honor
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
1965
Work: Across Five Aprils
Category: 児童文学
Organization: Awarding body (Vermont)
Result: winner
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
1965
Work: Across Five Aprils
Category: 児童文学
Organization: Awarding organization (children's literature)
Result: winner
Newbery Medal
1967
Work: Up a Road Slowly
Category: 児童文学
Organization: Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), American Library Association
Result: winner
Charles W. Follett Award
1971
Work: No Promises in the Wind
Organization: Awarding body (details unclear)
Result: winner
Parents' Choice Award
1985
Work: The Everlasting Hills
Organization: Parents' Choice Foundation
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Across Five Aprils

1964 historical novel (children's)

A children's historical novel set during the American Civil War in the Midwest; it follows a young narrator and explores coming of age and the impact of war on a family.

American Civil Warfamilycoming of agemorality and courage

Up a Road Slowly

1966 children's literature, coming-of-age novel

A warm novel about a girl's growth from childhood into adolescence, focusing on family relationships and self-discovery.

growthfamilyself-discovery

No Promises in the Wind

1970 children's novel

A story about young people facing hardship and adversity, emphasizing hope and family bonds.

adversityfamilyhope

The Lottery Rose

1976 children's literature, psychological drama

A moving story about a traumatized boy and the adults around him, focusing on healing and renewal.

traumahealingrelationships

The Everlasting Hills

1985 novel

A later novel touching on themes of life, memory, and the passage of time (summary limited).

memorylifetime

Bibliography

  • Across Five Aprils (1964)
  • Up a Road Slowly (1966)
  • Trail of Apple Blossoms (1969)
  • No Promises in the Wind (1970)
  • The Lottery Rose (1976)
  • William: a novel (1978)
  • Claws of a Young Century (1980)
  • The Everlasting Hills (1985)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
concise and compassionate narrationbalance of historical fact and fictionclear, accessible prose for young readers
Recurring Motifs
family bondscourage and moralitycoming of age and self-discoveryhistorical settings (e.g., Civil War)

Legacy

Irene Hunt is esteemed as a children's author who used historical settings to portray growth and moral themes for young readers. She won the Newbery Medal for Up a Road Slowly and left a lasting impact on children's literature.

Archives

  • Library of Congress (authority record LCCN: n80008583)

Quotes

  • "Brilliant characterization, a telling sense of story, an uncanny ability to balance fact and fiction, and compassionate, graceful writing mark Hunt's small but distinguished body of work."
    Source: Source (summary from Wikipedia article)

Trivia

  • Her debut novel Across Five Aprils was published when she was 61 years old.
  • She won the 1967 Newbery Medal for Up a Road Slowly.
  • She died on May 18, 2001, on her 98th birthday.