One of our best known authors Margaret Mahy died yesterday of cancer in Christchurch. She was 76.  This is a shock and a great loss to lovers of literature. I had expected her to be around for a long time, writing more books and enjoying her life in Governor's Bay. Tributes are coming from all over the world. She was highly intelligent, had a great sense of fun and made the world a magical place. She was awarded the Order of New Zealand in1993. Margaret Mahy won the Carnegie medal in1982 and 1984 being the first writer outside of  Britain to receive this award. She was awarded the Hans Christian Anderson award for her work in 2006. Margaret Mahy wrote for children and young adults. The Lion in the Meadow was the book that launched her career, a story about a young boy who sees a yellow whiskery lion in the backyard but his mother doesn't believe him. A Margaret Mahy Treasury was published last year containing 11 of her best known stories.