In conjunction with its generous sponsor ARA Group, the Historical Novel Society Australasia (HNSA) has announced the seven talented authors, and their outstanding novels, selected in the Longlist for the 2024 ARA Historical Novel Prize – CYA Category. The longlisted entries include:
Secret Sparrow by Jackie French (HarperCollins Publishers)
The Detective’s Guide to Paris by Nicki Greenberg (Affirm Press)
Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky by Rebecca Lim (Allen & Unwin)
Spies in the Sky by Beverley McWilliams (Pantera Press)
Silver Linings by Katrina Nannestad (ABC Books: An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
The Fortune Maker by Catherine Norton (HarperCollins Publishers)
Only Two by Jackie Randall (Self-published)
The ARA Historical Novel Prize Shortlist will be announced on Wednesday 2 October 2024. The winners will be announced on 23 October 2024.
THE JUDGING PANel
The judging panel for the CYA Category includes Anna Ciddor (Chair), Danielle Clode and Lystra Rose.
According to Chair, Anna Ciddor: The judges for the 2023 ARA Historical Novel Prize were once again thrilled by the enticing variety of writing styles, historic periods, locations and topics in the Children and Young Adult Category. The long-listed titles reveal this variety – from a fun romp through 1920s Paris to a gripping fantasy about fortune-telling set in 1913 London, to the harrowing, confronting hardships of rural China during Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward. Two long-list authors were inspired by stories from the World Wars that needed to be told. One created a tale about pigeons who carried spy messages in World War 2 – told from the point of view of the pigeons, and one used a fictional account to expose the hidden and dangerous role of women radio operators on the front line in World War 1. Whether the historical elements form the integral plot, like the story based on the sinking of the Loch Ard on the Victorian coast in 1878, or provide an intriguing and colourful setting for the joys and tragedies of the characters’ everyday lives in 1950s Australia, all the long-listed titles impressed the judges by their enthralling writing styles and their skill in bringing the past to life in a very real, accessible and relatable way for young people of today – which is what a CYA historical novel should do.
Secret Sparrow by Jackie French
(HarperCollins Publishers)
ABOUT JACKIE FRENCH
Jackie French AM is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator, the 2014–2015 Australian Children’s Laureate and the 2015 Senior Australian of the Year. In 2016 Jackie became a Member of the Order of Australia for her contribution to children’s literature and her advocacy for youth literacy. She is regarded as one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors and writes across all genres — from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi to her much loved historical fiction for a variety of age groups.
ABOUT SECRET SPARROW
In 1917 sixteen-year-old Jean McLain is working as a post-office assistant in England. But when she wins a national Morse code competition, the British army makes a request Jean cannot refuse – to take a secret position as a signaller in France.
If Jean can keep the signals flowing between headquarters and the soldiers at the Front, Britain might possibly win the war.
But the British army are determined to hide its desperation – and will go on to burn every document that showed how women and girls were working behind the scenes, in the trenches and even in battles during World War I.
Decades later, an old woman tells the story of ‘the telegraph girl’: the friends she lost, the man who loved her, and the happiness she so surprisingly found again.
Based on true events, this story of adventure, courage and unshakable loyalty restores women and girls to their place in history that the authorities tried to erase.
The Detective’s Guide to Paris by Nicki Greenberg
(Affirm Press)
ABOUT NICKI GREENBERG
Nicki Greenberg is an award-winning writer and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. Her work includes critically acclaimed graphic novels, picture books, fiction and non-fiction. She loves to roller skate, crochet, and make funny creatures. In her spare time she works as a lawyer.
ABOUT The Detective’s Guide to Paris
1920s Paris bursts to life in this captivating return to the world and characters of Nicki Greenberg’s The Detective’s Guide universe.
It’s springtime in Paris, and crime is in the air …
Pepper Stark and her friends came to Paris for the glamour, the gâteaux and the good times. But intrigue seems to follow the young detectives wherever they go. When an American tourist and a priceless Russian treasure both disappear from their hotel, Pepper is sure the mysteries are connected and is determined to solve them both. But this time she has competition: former thief-turned-amateur-detective Georges Rème is also on the case. And her friends seem to be more interested in croissants than in crime.
Pepper will do anything to beat Rème to the punch and prove herself as a proper sleuth – even if that means misleading the people closest to her. In this unusual hotel, where everyone has secrets to hide, who can Pepper trust to lead her to the answers? And how far will she go to get them?
Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky by Rebecca Lim
(Allen & Unwin)
ABOUT REBECCA LIM
Rebecca Lim is an award-winning Australian writer, illustrator and editor and the author of over twenty books, including Tiger Daughter (a CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers and Victorian Premier’s Literary Award-winner), The Astrologer’s Daughter and the bestselling Mercy. Her work has been shortlisted for the Prime Minister’s Literary Awards, NSW Premier’s Literary Awards, Queensland Literary Awards, Margaret and Colin Roderick Literary Award and Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards, shortlisted multiple times for the Aurealis Awards and Davitt Awards, and longlisted for the Gold Inky Award and the David Gemmell Legend Award. She is a co-founder of the Voices from the Intersection initiative to support emerging young adult and children’s authors and illustrators who are First Nations, People of Colour, LGBTIQA+ and/or living with disability, and co-editor of Meet Me at the Intersection, a groundbreaking anthology of YA #OwnVoice memoir, poetry and fiction.
ABOUT Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky
Thirteen-year-old Fu, his younger sister, Pei, and their mother live in a small rural community in Southern China that is already enduring harsh conditions when it is collectivised as part of Mao Zedong’s Great Leap Forward campaign that ultimately led to economic disaster, widespread famine and millions of deaths.
After tragedy strikes, and threatened with separation, Fu and Pei set out on a perilous journey across countries and oceans to find their father, who left for Australia almost a decade ago. With nothing to guide them but a photograph and some documents in a language they cannot read, they must draw on all their courage and tenacity just to survive – and perhaps forge a better life for themselves.
An unforgettable story of family, resilience and the complex Asian-Australian experience from the esteemed author of Tiger Daughter, winner of the CBCA Book of the year for Older Readers.
Spies in the Skies by Beverley McWilliams
(Pantera Press)
ABOUT Beverley McWilliams
Beverley McWilliams loves sharing history with young children. In August 2019, she published her debut picture book Born to Fly, which received a notable commendation from the CBCA.
Beverley’s writing has also been published online and in magazines, and she is a regular contributor to The School Magazine, Australia’s longest-running literary publication for children.
Beverley is the event coordinator for the Society Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI SA) and a member of the Australian Society Authors. She lives by the beach in beautiful South Australia with her family and menagerie of pets who provide endless inspiration.
ABOUT SPIES IN THE SKIES
Royal Blue is a royal racing pigeon from a long line of champions. Every morning he wakes in his comfortable loft at Sandringham House, eats the very best seeds and spends the day training with his best friend to be the fastest and strongest pigeon in Britain.
But there’s a war going on, and things are changing. Then one day the King himself comes to the loft and chooses Blue for a very special assignment.
As Blue goes on missions, helping with rescues, carrying secret messages and facing dangers he never could have imagined, one thing will become clear: never underestimate a pigeon.
Silver Linings by Katrina Nannestad
(ABC Books: An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
ABOUT Katrina Nannestad
Katrina Nannestad is a multi-award-winning Australian author. Her books include the CBCA-shortlisted We Are Wolves, The Girl Who Brought Mischief, The Travelling Bookshop series, The Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, the Olive of Groves series, the Red Dirt Diaries series, the Lottie Perkins series, and the historical novels Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief, Waiting for the Storks and Silver Linings. Katrina grew up in country New South Wales, and her adult years have been spent raising boys, teaching, daydreaming and pursuing her love of stories. Katrina celebrates family, friendship and belonging in her writing. Katrina won the $30,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize in 2021 and 2022, and was shortlisted for the 2023 prize.
ABOUT SILVER LININGS
Nettie Sweeney has a dad, three big sisters, a farm full of cows and a cat called Mittens. But it’s not enough. She longs for a mother. One with a gentle touch and sparkles in her eyes. Instead, she has Aunty Edith with slappy hands, a sharp tongue and the disturbing belief that peas are proper food.
When Dad marries Alice, all Nettie’s dreams come true. The Sweeney home overflows with laughter, love and, in time, a baby brother. Billy. The light of Nettie’s life.
Then tragedy strikes. The Sweeney family crumbles. Nettie tries to make things right, but has she made everything so much worse?
From multi-award-winning Australian author Katrina Nannestad comes a heartbreakingly beautiful and uplifting historical novel. Life and death. Weddings and floods. Coronation joy and post-war grief. Nettie Sweeney and her community experience it all. Together. With humour, kindness and love.
The Fortune Maker by Catherine Norton
(HarperCollins Publishers)
ABOUT CATHERINE NORTON
Catherine Norton’s first novel, Crossing, was joint winner of the Patricia Wrightson Prize in the 2015 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. It was also a CBCA Notable Book. She was born in the UK but grew up mostly in Adelaide, where she lives with her husband, children and a very lazy whippet called Archer. She has had dozens of jobs, including travel agent, cleaner, packer of tulip bulbs and novelty stationery, publishing assistant and academic, but she has only ever been fired from two of them. Writing novels is by far her favourite.
ABOUT The Fortune Maker
London, 1913
Twelve-year-old Maud Mulligan knows there’s no future for her in London, in the rat-infested slum where she grew up. But in the tunnel under the river are fortune tellers, Seers, who will tell your fortune for a few pennies. And then there is Mr Mandalay, Seer to the king and anyone else rich enough to afford him.
When Mr Mandalay sees Maud in a foretelling for a wealthy factory heiress, she believes Maud can save her family from financial ruin. But how? And why?
In a world shaken by suffragettes, scientists, and the threat of war, what could a girl like Maud do to change anyone’s future – or even her own?
Only Two by Jackie Randall
(Self-published)
ABOUT Jackie Randall
Jackie Randall has been writing MG and YA historical fiction for 15 years. Her two novels are self-published and include Emelin (MG 2016) that was included in the Victorian Premier’s Reading Challenge, and Only Two (YA 2023), plus her short story The Aria of the Ocean in the Wombat Books anthology Dust Makers (YA 2022).
Jackie’s works have been shortlisted in the 2017 Ampersand Prize and the 2017 CBCA Aspiring Writers Mentorship. In 2020, she was one of the winners of the ASA Award Mentorship Program. Originally from England, Jackie now lives on a property north of Sydney.
ABOUT ONLY TWO
It’s 1878 and Eva Carmichael is excited to begin her new life in Australia. Her parents and five of her siblings are with her on board the Loch Ard from London, which after three months at sea is just one day’s sail from Melbourne.
But late into that last night, the Loch Ard strikes rocks and sinks and all perish except Eva and a midshipman, Tom Pearce.
These teenagers face a gritty struggle for survival on the wreckage-strewn shore of a remote gorge.
Yet, after a dramatic rescue by a local farmer, the two young people find they must then tackle grief and growth as overnight they become inspirational but unwilling heroes across Australia and around the world.
ABOUT ARA GROUP
ARA Group provides a comprehensive range of building services and products to major customers throughout Australia and New Zealand and – through its workplace giving program, The ARA Endowment Fund – plays a proud and positive role in the community.
The ARA Endowment Fund currently donates 100 per cent of the interest earned annually to The Go Foundation, The Indigenous Literacy Foundation and The David Lynch Foundation.
ARA Group has also sponsored the Historical Novel Society Australasia’s biennial conferences since 2017, is Principal Partner of Sydney Writers’ Festival, the Melbourne Writers Festival, the Monkey Baa Theatre, the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Crown Sponsor of the Taronga Zoo and Significant Partner of the Story Factory.
