Mary Hooper, the prolific author of more than 100 books for children and young adults, has died aged 81. She left school at 15 with no qualifications, her last report noting she was 'far too noisy and talkative.' As a young mother in the 1970s, she read a short story and thought she could do better, writing one that sold to Jackie magazine for £14.
Early Life and Career
Mary was an only child, born in Barnes, south-west London, before it became expensive. Her father, Robert Tapson, ran an antique shop; her mother, Milly, died when Mary was in her 20s. She attributed her talkativeness and nosiness to being an only child, traits she later found vital for writing. In the 1960s, she was a mod, attending the Crawdaddy Club where the Rolling Stones played early gigs, and live recordings of Ready Steady Go!.
Writing Success
She married Harry Hooper in the late 1960s and worked as a secretary, learning to touch-type. Her children grew up with the sound of her typewriter. She began writing contemporary fiction for teenage girls, with her first published title Jodie in 1978, then switched to historical fiction, often published by Bloomsbury.
Her award-winning books include Newes from the Dead (2008), which won teenage book of the year at the North East Book Awards and Bank Street best children's book of the year in 2009; Fallen Grace (2010), nominated for the Carnegie Medal in 2011; and Poppy (2014), which won the Young Quills Historical Association award.
She would find snippets about historical figures and build novels around them. For Newes from the Dead, she wrote about Anne Green, a 17th-century woman hanged but revived on the autopsy table. As a mature student, she earned a degree in English from Reading University in 1990. She also volunteered at the Missing Persons Helpline, moved by the plight of those who lost loved ones.
Later Life and Legacy
Her marriage to Harry ended in divorce, and in 2006 she married Richard Tippett, settling in Henley-on-Thames. She delighted in her grandchildren, Mack, Nate, Molly, and Iris, and played a close part in their upbringing.
In the 2010s, she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and eventually had to give up writing. Her endurance was extraordinary. She is survived by Richard, her daughters Gemma and Lucy, and her grandchildren.
