Mary Hoffman
| Mary Hoffman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1945 Eastleigh, Hampshire, England |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse | Stephen Barber |
| Website | |
| maryhoffman |
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Mary Lassiter Hoffman (born 1945) is a British writer and critic. She has had over 90 books published whose audiences range from children to adults. One of her best known works is the children's book Amazing Grace, which was a New York Times bestseller at 1.5 million copies and a finalist for the 1991 Kate Greenaway Medal. From 2002 to 2012, she wrote the teen fiction series Stravaganza.
Born in Hampshire, England in 1945, Mary Hoffman was the youngest of three daughters. From a young age, she enjoyed going underground to visit the office of her father who worked for the railway. Hoffman won a scholarship to James Allen's Girls' School in Dulwich. From there she went to the University of Cambridge to study English at Newnham College and then spent two years studying Linguistics at University College London.
In 1998 she was made an Honorary Fellow of the Library Association for her work with children and schools. She worked at the Open University for nearly five years, contributing to courses for teachers on reading, language and children's literature. For eighteen years she was Reading Consultant to BBC Schools TV's Look and Read series and wrote the teaching scripts. She has been a freelance, self-employed professional writer and journalist since the mid-90s. She has argued for the role of British Children's Laureate to encompass active lobbying against cutbacks to libraries and was a nominee for the 2011–2013 post.
Hoffman lives with her husband Stephen Barber, whom she married in 1972. She moved from London to West Oxfordshire in 2001. They have three daughters, including the writer Rhiannon Lassiter. Hoffman frequently works in Italy and speaks Italian. She has also lectured in Latin and Anglo-Saxon. Hoffman is a contributing blogger to Book Maven and The History Girls. In 2016, Hoffman and Barber founded The Greystones Press, an independent book publishing company.
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