author
Mary C. (Mary Churchill) Hungerford
An American children's author of the 19th century, she is remembered for warm school stories centered on friendship, character, and growing up. Her work survives through just a small published record, which gives it a quietly rare charm today.
2 Audiobooks
The Friendly Five: A Story
by Mary C. (Mary Churchill) Hungerford
Philip: The Story of a Boy Violinist
by Virginia C. Young, Mary C. (Mary Churchill) Hungerford
About the author
Mary Elizabeth Churchill Hungerford (1831–1901) was an American children's author who also published as Mary C. Hungerford and Mary Churchill Hungerford. Surviving reference records identify her specifically as a writer for young readers.
The work most clearly associated with her today is The Friendly Five: A Story, a school novel about a circle of girls at Coventry Institute. Project Gutenberg also lists her as co-author, with Virginia C. Young, of Philip: The Story of a Boy Violinist, suggesting a small but distinct contribution to late-19th-century juvenile fiction.
She is also remembered through family history: writer Helen Churchill Candee was her daughter. Even though only a limited number of her books are widely available now, the titles that remain point to an author interested in youth, education, and lively, character-driven storytelling.