Irene Hunt (May 18, 1907 - May 18, 2001) was an American author of historical fiction for children and young adults.
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Personal Life
Irene Hunt was born to Franklin P. and Sarah Land Hunt in Pontiac, Illinois. Her family moved to Newton, Illinois when she was young. Her father died when she was seven years old, and she moved in with her grandparents. During this time, Ms. Hunt listened to her grandfather’s stories of when he was a boy during the American Civil War, providing the background for what would be Hunt's first novel, Across Five Aprils. The time between her father’s death and her graduation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1939 were Hunt's "quiet years." Though she had originally been interested in writing after receiving her Master’s Degree from the University of Minnesota in 1946, Hunt did not write any literature until she'd completed thirty-nine years of teaching. She taught French and English in the Oak Park, Illinois public schools for fifteen years, psychology at the University of South Dakota for four years, and language arts in the Cicero public school system.[1] Hunt wrote Across Five Aprils when she retired in 1964 at age 57. This book won seven major awards, including a Newbery Honor in 1965. Her second novel, Up a Road Slowly, received the Newbery Medal in 1967, marking it the most distinguished children's book in America that year. In all, Ms. Hunt won sixteen awards for five of her seven novels.[2] Irene Hunt died on May 18, 2001 at age 94 in Champaign, Illinois.[3]
Works
- Across Five Aprils, Follett, 1964.
- Up a Road Slowly, Follett, 1966.
- Trail of Apple Blossoms, illustrated by Don Bolognese, Follett, 1968.
- No Promises in the Wind, Follett, 1970.
- The Lottery Rose, Scribner, 1976.
- William, Scribner, 1978.
- Claws of a Young Century, Scribner, 1980.
- The Everlasting Hills, Scribner, 1985.
Select Awards
- 1965 Newbery Honor Book citation for Across Five Aprils
- 1965 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award for Across Five Aprils
- 1965 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for Across Five Aprils
- 1967 Newbery Medal for Up a Road Slowly
- 1971 Charles W. Follett Award for No Promises in the Wind
- 1985 Parents' Choice Award for The Everlasting Hills
References
- ^ http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/DC "Irene Hunt." U*X*L Junior DISCovering Authors. Online Edition. U*X*L, 2003. Discovering Collection. Thomson Gale. 27 June 2007
- ^ http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/DC "Irene Hunt." U*X*L Junior DISCovering Authors. Online Edition. U*X*L, 2003. Discovering Collection. Thomson Gale. 27 June 2007
- ^ The Horn Book Obituary Archives accessed June 26, 2007
- "Irene Hunt", Contemporary Authors Online, Thomson Gale, entry updated 25 February 2002
