Winner of Storylines Notable New Zealand Books: Junior Fiction 2008 and New Zealand Post Children's Book Awards: Children's Book of the Year 2008 and New Zealand Post Children's Book Award: Junior Fiction 2008.

Born in Levin in 1936, Joy was educated and worked at Palmerston North Girls High School and then attended Pharmacy College. Joy's writing career of more than 30 years has taken her around the globe where she has met children and teachers from Alaska to New York to South Africa to Brunei. Love, humour and a little twist at the end are key components of Joy'' writing and she loves to meet children and hear what they think about her stories and life in general. Over 600 titles of Joy's books have been published worldwide.