Hunt, Irene (1907-2001), was an American children’s author known for her novels about serious social issues set in American history. Hunt was a pioneer in introducing such themes as alcoholism, child abuse, mental retardation, teen-age pregnancy, and the death of a parent to children’s literature. Her sympathetic young characters are mostly boys. They face their personal and social problems with strength and courage and finally achieve wisdom while often developing strong family relationships.
Hunt won the 1967 Newbery Medal for her novel Up a Road Slowly (1966). The Newbery Medal is given annually to the best children’s book written by an American. Up a Road Slowly follows the life of Julie Trelling. Her mother dies when Julie is 7 years old, and her family sends her to live with her aunt, a teacher in a country school. The novel traces Julie’s development through high-school graduation, showing how she becomes a mature young woman.
Several of Hunt’s eight novels are historical. Her first book, Across Five Aprils (1964), is set during the American Civil War (1861-1865). The story focuses on Jethro Creighton, a southern Illinois farm boy, and how he is forced to deal with the disintegration of his family because of the war. Trail of Apple Blossoms (1968) is a novel about John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, the American pioneer who became a folk hero for planting apple orchards in Indiana and Ohio in the 1800’s. The book focuses on Chapman as a man of peace and his reverence for all life.
Hunt placed No Promises in the Wind (1970) in the 1930’s, during the Great Depression, a period of great economic hardship. The story tells about Josh Grodowski and his little brother Joey and their flight from a negligent father. The Lottery Rose (1976) centers on Georgie Burgess, a boy neglected by his alcoholic mother and beaten by the mother’s boyfriend. William (1978) examines relations between black and white Americans. The story concerns Sarah, a pregnant white teen-ager who moves into the home of William, a black boy. There, William’s mother takes care of Sarah. After the woman dies, Sarah becomes the head of the household and refuses to allow William and his sisters to be moved to a foster home.
In Claws of a Young Century (1980), Hunt dealt with feminist issues in telling a story of a 17-year-old girl named Ellen Archer who dedicates herself to fighting for women’s rights in the early 1900’s. Ellen eventually goes to jail for her beliefs and dies from the brutal treatment she endures there. Hunt’s final book, The Everlasting Hills (1985), is set in the Rocky Mountains during the 1930’s. The book deals with the life of Jeremy Tydings, a boy with a learning disability who is emotionally isolated from his uncaring father.
Hunt was born on May 18, 1907, in Pontiac, Illinois. She received an A.B. degree from the University of Illinois in 1939 and an M.A. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1946. She taught in the Oak Park, Illinois, public schools from 1930 to 1945, and in the Cicero, Illinois, public schools from 1950 to 1965. Hunt did not finish her first novel until the age of 57. She died on May 18, 2001.
