Book news – Page 2 – Christmas Press

Christmas Press is delighted to announce that we have acquired world rights in Leaf Letters, a unique interactive short novel for young readers that is award-winning creator Lorena Carrington’s first junior fiction title as an author-illustrator. With a background in fine arts, photography and design. Lorena has previously worked as an illustrator for story collections, anthologies and picture books, and has also created a number of cover illustrations and designs.

Christmas Press publishing director Sophie Masson said, ‘As soon as I read Lorena’s proposal for Leaf Letters, I was hooked. Told in words and pictures, this is a story of friendship, the pleasures of the natural world, and the pleasures of mystery! Plus it’s an invitation for young readers to join in the fun through coded messages and puzzles to solve. What’s not to love?’

From the beginning, readers are drawn into the world of nine-year-old Hazel Bird as she roams her neighbourhood bushland, photographing its tiny wild worlds. But then she meets Cole, a boy with a hundred pockets and a strange and marvellous way of talking. Together they find hidden treasure and a handwritten book of secret codes…Will they solve its mysteries?

Lorena Carrington said, ‘Hazel Bird is undeniably a young version of my adult self, happily lost in the tiny worlds of the undergrowth, camera in hand and twigs in her hair. She loves puzzles of all kinds, whether they involve constructing pictures, deciphering words, or figuring out the world around her. I’ve been wanting for a long time to create a story, told in words and pictures, that includes secret codes and a mystery. When Hazel and Cole popped into my head, I knew it was the perfect chance. I was so thrilled that Christmas Press felt the same way, embracing the idea of Leaf Letters. They are the perfect publisher for this book, and I am ever grateful to Sophie and the team for their enthusiasm and support. It means I get to dream up weird and wonderful enigmas, and spend a whole lot more time crawling around the damp mossy ground.’

Leaf Letters will be published by Christmas Press in July 2024.

We are absolutely thrilled to announce the very exciting news that Victor Kelleher’s extraordinary novel, Wanderer, which we published last year in our Eagle Books imprint, has just been shortlisted for the very prestigious Patricia Wrightson Prize, which is the children’s category in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards! This is absolutely wonderful news, and a very well-deserved major recognition of Victor’s magnificent book. Here’s what the judges said about the novel:

With danger at every turn and constant action that grinds to a dramatic climax, Wanderer by Victor Kelleher grips the reader from the start, never letting up on the drama, tension, and conflict. This novel stood out for its strong narrative voice and for its child protagonists who remain in control of their own destinies throughout. Theirs is a high-stakes, life-and-death struggle against the decaying, lawless world around them as they must battle and attempt to outwit adults, wild animals, and nature itself.

This middle-grade novel is set in a dystopian future where ocean levels have risen and society has crumbled. Young Dane and his new friend, Lana, must complete a perilous quest that focuses on special treasures: precious, rare books. And, yet, Wanderer is also much more than this. It’s a tale of friendship, courage, endurance, and a warning of what the future may hold for humanity.

Huge congratulations to Victor! We are so proud to have been able to publish Wanderer, and so delighted that the book has been honoured in this wonderful way.

Winners of the Awards will be announced at the State Library of NSW, Sydney, on May 22. It will also be the opening event for the Sydney Writers’ Festival. #NSWPLA

Category: Book news

We have acquired Lorena Carrington’s first junior novel!

Fantastic news for Wanderer!