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. Her father, Robert Tapson, ran an antique shop in Hammersmith; her mother, Milly, died when Mary was in her 20s. She attributed her talkativeness and nosiness to being an only child, traits that later proved vital for her writing. In the 1960s, she was a mod, attending the Crawdaddy Club in Richmond where the Rolling Stones played early gigs, and live recordings of Ready Steady Go!
She married Harry Hooper in the late 1960s and worked as a secretary, learning to touch-type. For her daughters, Gemma and the author, the background noise of childhood was the clatter of her typewriter. She began writing contemporary fiction for teenage girls, with her first published title Jodie in 1978, then switched to historical fiction, published for many years by Bloomsbury.
Notable Works and Achievements
Hooper found snippets about historical figures and built novels around them. Newes from the Dead (2008) 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) was nominated for the Carnegie Medal in 2011. Poppy (2014) won the Young Quills Historical Association award, nominated by young readers.
As a mature student, she earned a degree in English at Reading University in 1990. She also volunteered at the Missing Persons Helpline (now Missing People), moved by the plight of those who had lost loved ones.
Personal Life and Later Years
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 care and upbringing.
In the 2010s she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and eventually had to give up writing. Her endurance of the disease was extraordinary. She is survived by Richard, Gemma, and the author, and her grandchildren.
