Maurice Gee: A literary companion: The fiction for young readers is the first full-scale study of renowned New Zealand novelist Maurice Gee’s novels for young readers.
‘The body of work Maurice Gee has produced for young readers is distinctive and valuable, and offers access to the creations of an extremely thoughtful writer,’ says the book’s editor Dr Elizabeth Hale from the University of New England. ‘A scholarly tribute to his writing for a younger audience is long overdue.’
Gee’s children’s books remain popular and in print. Several of his books are studied in the national secondary-school curriculum.
Maurice Gee: A literary companion: The fiction for young readers looks closely at Gee’s 13 books for children and provides an overview of his work as well as examining different aspects of the books. The contributors explore the motivations, themes, contexts and reception of Gee’s work, from the fantasy novels Under the Mountain, The World Around the Corner and the O and Salt trilogies, to the five realist and historical novels, including The Fat Man, The Champion and The Fire-Raiser.
Gee has made a major contribution to the quality and range of literature available for teenagers and children. His books are notable for their evocative settings, compelling plots and thematic richness – engaging in serious issues at the same time as they tell exciting, interesting stories.
Maurice Gee: A literary companion is an engaging literary investigation that gives a detailed, full appreciation of Gee’s fantasy and historical novels. This collection of essays will be an invaluable resource for students, teachers, readers and writers of New Zealand literature, children’s literature and fantasy literature.
Dr Elizabeth Hale is Senior Lecturer in English and Writing at UNE, where she teaches children’s literature, media and creative writing. She has published widely on topics in children’s literature, nineteenth-century literature, and classical reception studies. With Sarah Winters, she is co-editor of Marvellous Codes: The fiction of Margaret Mahy (Victoria University Press, 2005). Elizabeth grew up in New Zealand, and studied English literature and Latin at the University of Otago before doing her MA and PhD at Brandeis University in the US.