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Maria Gill

Maria Gill is the author of 62 nonfiction books for children and the educational market. Her nonfiction book ‘Anzac Heroes’, illustrated by Marco Ivancic, won the 2016 NZCYA children’s nonfiction award, the Margaret Mahy Book of the Year prize, and was a Storylines Notable (Nonfiction) book. ‘New Zealand Hall of Fame’, illustrated by Bruce Potter, won the Children’s Choice (nonfiction category) at the 2012 NZCYA book awards. In total, fifteen of her books have been nominated for national book awards and eleven chosen as Storylines Notable Books. In 2020, Storylines awarded Maria the Margaret Mahy Medal for outstanding services to children’s literature. Maria’s most recently books include ‘Ernest Rutherford: Just an Ordinary Boy’ (Upstart Press, 2023), and ‘Epic New Zealand Adventurers’ (Upstart Press, 2023).

Maria has a Masters in Creative Writing (AUT, Honours), a Graduate Diploma in Journalism Studies, a Bachelor of Education, and a Teaching Diploma. She has taught in Intermediate and Primary Schools in the Auckland region, before having two children and moving north of Auckland. Her children have now grown up and left home (a proud mum of a paramedic daughter, and a Navy marine engineer son).

Maria writes fulltime from a seaside village north of Auckland. When not writing, she gives talks and workshops for ReadNZ and Speakers Ink around New Zealand and Australia. She is a workshop facilitator for Write Like an Author teaching the three-day camps around the country. She has also been a Duffy Books Role model for seven years. For eleven years she coordinated the nationwide children’s writers’ group called Kiwi Write4Kidz. From 2021, she has been the Auckland Branch Chair of New Zealand Society of Authors, and a coordinator for the Point Wells Village Literary Festival. Maria coordinates and reviews children’s books for the https://kidsbooksnz.blogspot.com/ site.

maria-gill

Selected bibliography:

  • ‘New Zealand’s Most Endangered Dolphins’ illustrated by Marco Ivancic (White Cloud Books, May 2024)
  • ‘Beatrice Hill Tinsley: Queen of the Cosmos’ illustrated by Alistair Hughes (Upstart Press, Feb 2024)
  • ‘Epic New Zealand Adventurers’ illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Upstart Press, July 2023)
  • ‘Ernest Rutherford: Just an ordinary boy’ illustrated by Alistair Hughes (Upstart Press, 2023)
  • ‘The King’s Medal’ illustrated by Alistair Hughes (Upstart Press, October 2021)
  • ‘Remarkable Animal Stories’ illustrated by Emma Huia Lovegrove (Scholastic, August 2021)
  • ‘New Zealand Disasters: Our response, resilience and recovery’ illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Scholastic, Feb 2021)
  • ‘Ice Breaker: An Epic Antarctic Adventure’ illustrated by Alistair Hughes (New Holland, 2020)
  • ‘On the Brink’ (New Holland, 2019)
  • ‘Kate Sheppard: Leading the Way for Women’ (Scholastic, 2018)
  • ‘Earthquakes! Shaking New Zealand’ (New Holland, 2018)
  • ‘Anzac Animals’ illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Scholastic, 2018)
  • ‘Abel Tasman: Mapping the Southern Lands’ illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Scholastic, 2017)
  • ‘Toroa’s Journey’ illustrated by Gavin Mouldey (Potton & Burton, 2017)
  • ‘Find Out! Volcanoes’ (Dorling Kindersley, 2016)
  • ‘Anzac Heroes’ illustrated by Marco Ivancic (Scholastic, 2016)
  • ‘New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame: 25 Kiwi Champions, illo Marco Ivancic (New Holland, 2014)
  • ‘The Last of Maui’s Dolphins’ picture book, illo Bruce Potter (New Holland, 2014)
  • ‘Running Our Country: A look inside New Zealand’s Government’ (New Holland, 2013)
  • ’Eruption! Discovering New Zealand Volcanoes’ (New Holland, 2012)
  • ’The Call of the Kokako’ illustrated by Heather Arnold (New Holland, 2011)
  • ’New Zealand’s Hall of Fame: 50 Remarkable Kiwis’ illo Bruce Potter (New Holland, 2011)
  • ’Rangitoto’ illustrated by Heather Arnold (Penguin Books, 2009)
  • ’Save Our Seas’ Illustrated by Vivienne Lingard (New Holland, 2009)
  • ’Eco-rangers: Save our Planet’ (New Holland, 2009)
  • ’Dogs on the Job’ (Reed, 2008)
  • ’Operation Nest Egg’ (Reed, 2007)
  • ’Bird’s-eye View’ (Penguin Books, 2006)
  • ’Homework Powerpack’ (Zenith Publishing, 2005)

Digital Books

  • ‘Operation Nest Egg Chick’ (Pixel Books, 2013)
  • ‘The Rock Standing in the Ocean’ (Pixel Books, 2013)
  • ‘The Last of Maui’s Dolphins’ 2023

Audio Book

  • ‘On the Brink’ (New Holland, 2019)

Awards:

  • ‘New Zealand Disasters’ shortlisted and Runner Up for NZ Heritage Literary Awards (2021)
  • ‘New Zealand Disasters’ Storylines Notable Highly Commended (nonfiction) Book (2021)
  • ‘New Zealand Disasters’ shortlisted (nonfiction) NZ Children’s Book Awards (2021)
  • Awarded Arts Centre Residency in Christchurch from August – October 2021
  • ‘Ice Breaker! An Epic Antarctic Adventure’ shortlisted NZSA Heritage Book Awards (2020)
  • Margaret Mahy Medal for services to children’s literature & literacy (2020)
  • ‘Anzac Animals’ shortlisted for PANZ awards (2019)
  • ‘Anzac Animals’ Storylines Notable (nonfiction) Book (2019)
  • ‘Abel Tasman’ Storylines Notable (nonfiction) Book (2018)
  • ‘Toroa’s Journey’ Storylines Notable (nonfiction) Book (2018)
  • ‘Abel Tasman’ shortlisted for the NZCYA Book Illustration award (2018)
  • ‘Anzac Heroes’ won the NZ Book Awards Elsie Locke (Nonfiction) Award (2016)
  • ‘Anzac Heroes’ won the NZ Book Awards Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award (2016)
  • ‘Anzac Heroes’ shortlisted for the NZ Children’s Choice Award (2016)
  • ‘Anzac Heroes’ Storylines Notable Book (2017)
  • ‘New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame’ shortlisted Elsie Locke, Nonfiction award, LIANZA (2015)
  • ‘New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame’ Storylines Notable Book (2015)
  • ‘Running the Country’ Storylines Notable Book (2014)
  • ‘Eruption! Discovering New Zealand’s volcanoes’ shortlisted Elsie Locke, Nonfiction award, LIANZA Children’s Book Awards (2013)
  • ‘Eruption! Discovering New Zealand’s volcanoes Storylines Notable Book (2013)
  • ‘The Call of the Kokako’ shortlisted Elsie Locke – Nonfiction Award and Russell Clark
  • – Illustration award, LIANZA Children’s Book Awards (2012)
  • ‘Call of the Kokako’ Storylines Notable Book (2012)
  • ‘New Zealand Hall of Fame’ shortlisted Elsie Locke Award – Nonfiction, LIANZA Children’s Book Awards (2012)
  • ‘New Zealand Hall of Fame’ winner of Children’s Choice, nonfiction category, New Zealand Post Children’s Book awards (2012)
  • ‘New Zealand Hall of Fame’ Storylines Notable Book (2012)
  • ‘The Call of the Kokako’ Storylines Notable Book (2012)
  • ‘New Zealand Hall of Fame’ Storylines Notable Book (2012)
  • ‘Save Our Seas’ Storylines Notable Book (2010)
  • ‘Rangitoto’ shortlisted Non-Fiction category, 2010 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards.
  • Second in a national writing competition ‘Rodney Writes’ in the Premier category
  • ‘Bird’s-eye View’ Storylines Notable Book (2007)
  • ‘Bird’s-eye View’ shortlisted Elsie Locke Award, LIANZA Children’s Book Awards (2007)

Other Resources:

Website: www.mariagill.co.nz

Blogsite: https://kidsbooksnz.blogspot.com

Facebook: Maria Gill Children’s Books

Twitter: @mariagillnz

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Storylines Trust Te Whare Waituhi Tamariki and Friends of Storylines Te Pou o Te Whare Waituhi Tamariki together form New Zealand’s only national organisation working year-round to promote New Zealand children’s and young adult literature through activities that include a major national Story Tour to schools, early childhood centres and communities, and awards for writers, illustrators and those who work in the area of New Zealand children’s literature

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