Author Lynda Mullaly Hunt answers our questions about reader connections
In our previous post, “Marblehead students hear back from authors,” we related the experience of some Letters About Literature student writers who received personal responses to their letters.
To understand the link between young readers and writers from the viewpoint of authors, Mass Center for the Book reached out to Lynda Mullaly Hunt, an award-winning Massachusetts writer of middle grade fiction and a popular “recipient” of Letters About Literature (LAL) letters every year. Her bestselling books (One for the Murphys, Fish in a Tree, and Shouting at the Rain) address pertinent topics for pre- and early teens, such as learning differences, unconventional families, friendship, loneliness and love; students perennially connect deeply with her hopeful character-driven stories.
Mullaly Hunt acknowledged that she has received countless letters from kids; the most satisfying ones relate that a child feels less flawed and more appreciative of who they are after taking a character’s journey in one of her books.
“When readers realize that they can make any life they want regardless of the hand they’ve been dealt as a child, that’s gold,” Mullaly Hunt observed. “There is no accolade in the world that an author can receive any better than that.”
Along with written communication, Mullaly Hunt interacts with readers in person at schools, libraries, and events. These allow for light conversations about favorite characters and entertaining scenes, but she also admits some kids have moved her to tears. Likewise, as a former educator, she is touched by the teachers who have thanked her for honoring the teaching profession in her writing and the parents who are grateful for the conversations they’ve had with their children after reading her books together.
Mass Center for the Book is annually reminded of the importance of reading in the lives of children through the LAL program. When an author relates a good story, connecting with authentic characters and honesty, preteens and adolescents learn to turn to books as they develop an understanding of their own lives and the world around them. The Marblehead students in our previous post feel even more excited about reading and writing now, while Lynda Mullaly Hunt, honored to be an author for young readers, is grateful when she learns she has helped children through her writing. That’s what keeps her going.
Lynda Mullaly Hunt accepts the 2020 Massachusetts Book Award for Middle Grade/Young Adult Literature for Shouting at the Rain at the Massachusetts State House.
For more information about Letters About Literature in Massachusetts, visit the program page: https://www.massbook.org/letters-about-literature