Hunt, Irene

Irene Hunt was born May 18, 1907. She attended the University of Illinois, graduating in 1939. Ms. Hunt later attended the University of Minnesota, receiving a M.A. in 1946. She taught for many years at the secondary and college level and began writing for children and young adults in the 1960s. She published her first book, Across Five Aprils, in 1964. This novel of the effects of the Civil War on one family was well received and was a Newbery Honor Book. Ms. Hunt's second book, Up a Road Slowly, published in 1966 won the Newbery Award in 1967. Both works focus on the tribulations of adolescence and are written with compassion, honesty and realism. Ms. Hunt is perhaps best known for her historical fiction and the vivid, accurate detail she achieves and in her portrayals of both historical and contemporary topics and insightful characterizations.

From the guide to the Irene Hunt Papers, 1964-1980, (University of Minnesota Libraries Children's Literature Research Collections [clrc])