Mary has always enjoyed the power of a good story, whether it’s been as a children's book author, a children’s librarian, or a writer-in-residence teaching kids how to write.
Of all the things she appreciates in life, she believes empathy--the ability to see the world through another person’s eyes--is the key both to being a good friend and a good writer. “I must first step into the minds and hearts of my characters to discover their viewpoints,” she says. "In turn, empathy is what inspires my readers to care about my characters and to keep turning the page!"
Speaking of the world, Mary has traveled to many beautiful places—among them, Hawaii, where her most recent novel is set. She now lives in Lexington, Kentucky where she enjoys the rolling green hills of horse country, taking long walks, and spending time with friends and family who add great wonder to her life.
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On sale this August!
When a mysterious scholarship sends twelve-year-old Sophie Kai Bender to a Hawaiian summer camp for young shamans, she goes…but with one goal in mind: Find a friend for her pet seahorse, Buddy, and return home. Plans change when Sophie begins to make friends with kids who have “psycho-telepathic-weirdnesses” of their own. With the help of Camp Koa’s caring elders, a resident gecko, the goddess Pele, and the spirit of her little sister, Sophie Kai learns to accept her mysterious abilities, but will those abilities be powerful enough to save some of Hawaii’s most vulnerable creatures?
What the Seahorse Told Me is a magical tale of friendship, family, and the spirit of aloha—guaranteed to delight your heart.
“Exquisitely beautiful! Knight’s themes of friendship, family, love, empathy, justice, mercy, and compassion speak volumes as to why this novel needs to be in the hands of our young people."
--Rosie Sansalone, ELA teacher for 27 years
For ages: 9 to 99
For the classroom: Grades 4-7, Reading Level: 5th grade
“This novel transcends genres, with readers being drawn into a journey where the ordinary and the extraordinary coexist, inviting them to ponder what is truly possible.
—Jesse Fawess, middle school ELA teacher, Long Island
"I couldn't stop thinking about Sophie Kai from the moment I opened the book to flipping the last page shut. Every middle schooler should read WHAT THE SEAHORSE TOLD ME!"
—Elsie Fricke, 6th grader
"I enjoyed the thread of seahorse facts and of the innocence of youth bravely stepping up to intervene on behalf of vulnerable animals. An uplifting story that celebrates the aloha culture of Hawaii."
—Jen Molitor, principal and former middle school ELA teacher
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When a new coal boss takes over the local mining company, life is turned upside down for 12-year-old Curley Hines. Suddenly, his best friend, Jules, has a crush on the coal boss’s son, and worse, the mining company threatens to destroy Curley and Papaw’s mountain. Now Curley faces a difficult choice. Does he use his words to speak out against Big Coal and save his mountain, or does he remain silent and save his way of life? With everything changing, Curley doesn’t even know if there will be anything left to save.
From debut author Mary Knight comes a rich, lyrical, and utterly transporting tale about friendship, the power of words, and the difficult hurdles we must overcome for the people and places we love.
“A remarkable debut novel
from an author to watch.”
School Library Journal
“. . . Inspirational.” Publisher’s Weekly
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2017 Green Earth Book Award
Children's Fiction
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​​Parents' Choice Award
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Notable Book for Social Studies
Children's Book Council
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Where do you get your ideas?
All novels come out of a writer’s experiences in one way or another—whether it’s through research or their own life. Once the seed of an idea is planted, it tends to take on a life of its own. I love it when that happens!
Here are a few of the seeds that became WHAT THE SEAHORSE TOLD ME . . .
My story was just 20 pages and
an outline when I visited the island of Hawaii to do research and to interview island elders. These photographs show a few key moments that brought the story to life in my imagination.
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A bridge to adventure . . .
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A turtle on a black sand beach . . .
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A girl who took 45 minutes before she leapt off a cliff . . . and the boy who encouraged her.
And a few of the seeds that became SAVING WONDER . . .
Papaw and Curley's word-a-week practice
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The character of Papaw was inspired by my own grandfather who used to give my mom and her three sisters a word to learn every night at the dinner table. They would use that word as many times as they could during the rest of the evening. It became
a game the whole family played.
Curley Hines
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While researching another novel that took place in Cincinnati where I was born, I discovered a beautiful old gazebo. Around its stone base, people had carved their initials and left little messages—some of them dating as far back as the early 1900s. As I ran my hand over these engravings of friendship and love, I came upon one that had an unexpected effect. Someone had carved, “I love Curly Hines.”
In that instant, I knew who that boy was. I sometimes say that Curley Hines “haunted” me, but what I really mean is that the idea of this character wouldn’t let me go until I wrote down his story.
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