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Edition 34 (2008) Winner
Mandy Hager
マンディ・ヘイガー
Mandy Hager
Aliases:
Amanda Hager
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1960-07-26 （Levin, New Zealand）
- Nationality
- New Zealand
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Levin, New Zealand → Kāpiti Coast, New Zealand
Career
- Occupations
- Writer, Children's and YA author, Primary teacher, Teacher for people with learning difficulties, Youth education officer, Research assistant, Resource writer, Creative writing tutor
- Active Years
- 1995-2024
- Affiliations
- Whitireia New Zealand
- Nominations
- Nominated for Best Young Adult novel, Sir Julius Vogel Awards (Into the Wilderness, 2011), Longlisted for Ockham New Zealand Book Awards (Heloise, 2018)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington College of Education | — | Education | Teaching Diploma | — | New Zealand |
| Whitireia New Zealand | — | Applied Arts | Advanced Diploma in Applied Arts | — | New Zealand |
| Victoria University of Wellington | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences | Creative Writing | MA | — | New Zealand |
Wellington College of Education
Education
Degree:
Teaching Diploma
Country:
New Zealand
Whitireia New Zealand
Applied Arts
Degree:
Advanced Diploma in Applied Arts
Country:
New Zealand
Victoria University of Wellington
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
/ Creative Writing
Degree:
MA
Country:
New Zealand
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | AIM Children's Book Awards | Tom’s Story | Picture Book | — | Honour Award |
| 2008 | Esther Glen Award | Smashed | Junior Fiction | LIANZA | Winner |
| 2010 | New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards | The Crossing | Young Adult Fiction | NZ Post | Winner |
| 2013 | LIANZA Book Awards | The Nature of Ash | Young Adult Fiction | LIANZA | Winner |
| 2014 | LIANZA Book Awards | Dear Vincent | Young Adult Fiction | LIANZA | Winner |
| 2015 | New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults | Singing Home the Whale | Young Adult Fiction | Booksellers NZ | Winner |
| 2015 | Margaret Mahy Book of the Year | Singing Home the Whale | — | Booksellers NZ | Winner |
| 2019 | Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award | — | — | Storylines | Winner |
AIM Children's Book Awards
1996
Work:
Tom’s Story
Category:
Picture Book
Result:
Honour Award
Esther Glen Award
2008
Work:
Smashed
Category:
Junior Fiction
Organization:
LIANZA
Result:
Winner
New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards
2010
Work:
The Crossing
Category:
Young Adult Fiction
Organization:
NZ Post
Result:
Winner
LIANZA Book Awards
2013
Work:
The Nature of Ash
Category:
Young Adult Fiction
Organization:
LIANZA
Result:
Winner
LIANZA Book Awards
2014
Work:
Dear Vincent
Category:
Young Adult Fiction
Organization:
LIANZA
Result:
Winner
New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
2015
Work:
Singing Home the Whale
Category:
Young Adult Fiction
Organization:
Booksellers NZ
Result:
Winner
Margaret Mahy Book of the Year
2015
Work:
Singing Home the Whale
Organization:
Booksellers NZ
Result:
Winner
Margaret Mahy Medal and Lecture Award
2019
Organization:
Storylines
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
-
Edition 29 (2019) Winner
Works
Major Works
Singing Home the Whale
2014 Young Adult fictionStory of a boy trying to save an injured humpback whale, exploring loss and environmental issues.
griefenvironmental protectionfriendship
Translations
- Published in US by Pyr Books
Bibliography
- Tom’s Story
- Run for the Trees
- Smashed
- The Crossing
- Into the Wilderness
- Resurrection
- The Nature of Ash
- Dear Vincent
- Singing Home the Whale
- Ash Arising
- Gracehopper
- Hindsight
- Juno Lucina
- Heloise
Translations of Works
- Blood of the Lamb trilogy (US Pyr Books)
- Dear Vincent (Slovenian edition)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Boldly addresses tough social issuesEmotionally charged narrativePromotes social justice
- Recurring Motifs
- griefviolenceabusesuicidebullyingracismsexismenvironmental issues
Legacy
Key figure in New Zealand children's and YA literature, renowned for works tackling social and emotional issues. Multiple major awards winner, including lifetime achievement like Margaret Mahy Medal.
Trivia
- Sister of investigative journalist Nicky Hager
- Has two children and two grandchildren
- Wrote her first book after losing her first husband in a boating accident