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Story: Children’s and young adult literature

Celebrated authors: Joy Cowley

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Celebrated authors: Joy Cowley

Joy Cowley's first books were novels for adults, and she turned to children's literature after one of her sons had trouble learning to read. She wrote stories for him, and these were read by other children and used by schools. In addition to her educational books, Cowley has written picture books, junior fiction and young-adult novels. She received the Prime Minister's Award for Fiction in 2010 and was appointed a member of the Order of New Zealand in 2018.

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, Children’s and young adult literature – Fantasy and social realism, 1970s–2000s, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/43161/celebrated-authors-joy-cowley (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 25 October 2013, updated 1 August 2016.