The Wearing of the Green by Claire Saxby
About Claire Saxby
Claire Saxby lives in Melbourne, Australia and loves her city. She is the bestselling and award-winning author of many books. There Was an Old Sailor (illustrated by Cassandra Allen) won the Society of Children’s Book Writes and Illustrators Crystal Kite Award. Big Red Kangaroo and Emu (both illustrated by Graham Byrne) and Koala (illustrated by Julie Vivas) have won numerous awards including the Whitley Award, the Environment Award for Children’s Literature, and Children’s Book council of Australia (CBCA) Crichton Award. Koala was a CBCA Honour Book. Dingo (illustrated by Tannya Harricks was joint winner of the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature at the NSW Premier’s Literary Award (2019); won the Royal Zoological Society of NSW’s Whitley Award (2018); was shortlisted in 2019 for the CBCA New Illustrator Award, and Best Picture Book in the Educational Publishing awards. For further information, visit:
A Quote from Claire Saxby
“What a thrill to be longlisted for the HNSA’s ARA Historical Novel Award! The Wearing of the Green begins when Biddy arrives in 1850 as Melbourne is undergoing great and rapid change and not just because of the discovery of gold. So much is written about the gold fields but I wanted to explore life in Melbourne city, when a girl, newly arrived from famine-ridden Ireland, might have a chance of a bigger life. In this novel, I wanted to walk the streets with Biddy, and view this fledgling city through the eyes of a character given a second chance. It is a story of migration and opportunity. Thank you HNSA and ARA for championing historical writing. Your support increases the visibility of stories of our past and provides the opportunity for readers to understand where we’ve come from and perhaps guide our future.”
About The Wearing of the Green
A powerful historical novel exploring themes of racism, classism and gender expectations present in a growing nation. When Biddy arrives in Melbourne from Ireland in 1850, she knows exactly what she’s going to do – find her rebellious big brother, Ewen. Her plans are derailed when he’s not there to meet her and she’s forced into a situation that is nothing like she expected. Faced with challenges and chased by luck, bad and good, Biddy must find a strength within herself to build a new life – and to find her missing brother.
