Mary Downing Hahn

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Mary Downing Hahn
Born (1937-12-09) December 9, 1937 (age 86)
Washington, D.C. (or College Park, Maryland, sources vary), U.S.
OccupationNovelist
GenreYoung adult fiction including ghost, horror, mystery stories

Mary Downing Hahn (born December 9, 1937) is an American writer of young adult novels and a former school librarian. She is known for books such as Stepping On The Cracks and Wait Till Helen Comes.[1] She published her first book in 1979 and has since written over 30 novels.[2][3] Her novel What We Saw was published in September 2022.[4]

Personal life[edit]

The daughter of Kenneth Ernest Downing (an automobile mechanic) and Anna Elisabeth Sherwood (a teacher), Mary Downing married William E. Hahn on October 7, 1961. They had two daughters but divorced in 1977. She married, secondly, to Norman Pearce Jacob (a librarian) on April 23, 1982.[5]

She suffered a major stroke at the age of 44 but recovered.[6]

Books[edit]

Awards[edit]

State awards[edit]

Wait Till Helen Comes (1986)

  • Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington)
  • Rebecca Caudhill Young Readers' Book Award (Illinois)
  • Young Hoosier Award (Indiana)
  • Iowa Children's Choice Award
  • Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Minnesota)
  • Golden Sower Award (Nebraska)
  • Volunteer State Book Award (Tennessee)
  • Texas Bluebonnet Award
  • Utah Children's Book Award
  • Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (Vermont)
  • Virginia Readers' Choice Award

The Doll in the Garden (1989)

  • Georgia Children's Book Award
  • Mark Twain Award (Missouri)
  • Virginia Readers' Choice Award

The Dead Man In Indian Creek (1990)

  • Colorado Children's Book Award
  • Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Minnesota)
  • South Carolina Children's Book Award
  • Utah Children's Book Award
  • Virginia Readers' Choice Award

Stepping on the Cracks (1991)

  • Golden Sower Award (Nebraska)
  • South Carolina Children's Book Award

Time for Andrew (1994)

  • California Young Reader's Medal
  • Georgia Children's Book Award
  • Rebecca Caudhill Young Readers' Book Award (Illinois)
  • William Allen White Children's Book Award (Kansas)
  • Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award
  • Mark Twain Award (Missouri)
  • Texas Bluebonnet Award
  • Utah Children's Book Award
  • Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (Vermont)
  • Virginia Readers' Choice Award

The Gentleman Outlaw and Me—Eli (1996)

  • Iowa Children's Choice Award

The Old Willis Place (2004)

  • William Allen White Children's Book Award (Kansas)
  • Golden Sower Award (Nebraska)
  • South Carolina Children's Book Award
  • Volunteer State Book Award (Tennessee)
  • Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (Vermont)

Witch Catcher (2006)

  • West Virginia Children's Book Award

Deep and Dark and Dangerous (2007)

  • Golden Sower Award (Nebraska)

Closed for the Season (2009)

  • Golden Sower Award (Nebraska)

References[edit]

  1. ^ Leeper, Angela (September 9, 2008). "Talking with Mary Downing Hahn". American Library Association (ALA.org). Retrieved 2014-05-13.
  2. ^ "Our Member Pages: Mary Downing Hahn". The Children's Book Guild of Washington DC (childrensbookguild.org). Archived from the original on 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  3. ^ "Mary Downing Hahn Talks with Roger". The Horn Book, Inc. (hbook.com). Retrieved 2014-05-13.
  4. ^ What We Saw title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  5. ^ Profile, Encyclopedia.com. Accessed February 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Profile, bartleby.com. Accessed February 20, 2024.
  7. ^ "Search the Edgars Database!". Edgar® Award Info & Database. Mystery Writers of America (edgarawards.com). Retrieved 2014-05-13.

External links[edit]