middle grade books

Rebecca Lim is an award-winning Australian writer, illustrator, editor and the author of over twenty books, including Tiger Daughter (a CBCA Book of the Year: winner).

Her novels have been translated into German, French, Turkish, Portuguese, Polish and Russian and have won so many awards I can’t list them all here. 

She’s popped in today to chat about her latest book titled, Two Sparrowhawks in a Lonely Sky. This is such a poignant tale of two incredible kids setting out on the most unimaginable journey. A journey full of emotion that will challenge us all as Australians to question our beliefs and prejudices.

Plus, we chat with Bianca's Book Club about starting a community library and Bianca reviews two amazing book series.

Fiona Lloyd hails from Newcastle in the Northeast of England where, as a child, she dreamed of being an author in a country cottage like Enid Blyton or Beatrix Potter.

Later in life, she moved to Australia and became a colourist on TV shows like Home and Away, where she put the sunshine into Alf Stewart.

But the dream of being an author was still alive and well, and I’m happy to say, that she’s popped in today to talk about her journey with us, as well as her latest book – a gentle funny yet powerful coming-of-age middle grade novel about surviving the odds, unlikely friendships and the magical music of Elvis.

There’s a lot to break down there so, to tell us all about it, please give a big hand to the wonderful Fiona Lloyd.

Mariama Lockington's debut middle grade novel, For Black Girls Like Me, incorporates poetry and prose into a story about a transracial adoptee who deals with racism, mental health and growing up.

Mariama talks about her own experiences growing up black with white parents, how her educational experience formed her book, and the 10-year process of writing and rewriting her novel.

For more information on Mariama, the podcast and our other episodes, visit our podcast page.

Jasmine Warga's first middle grade novel, "Other Words for Home," is making tons of 2019 book lists and for good reason. The timely, emotional and hopeful novel in verse follows a Syrian sixth grader as she adjusts to her new home in Cincinnati even as she experiences uncertainty and fear.

Visit our episode page for more information on Jasmine.

Tracey Baptiste concludes her popular 'Jumbies' series, talks about diversity in publishing, and discusses her New York Times opinion on mermaids with Lesley University Professor and poet Danielle Legros Georges.

Learn more about Tracey, Danielle, and our low-residency creative writing program at lesley.edu/podcast, where we've also got a link to her NYT piece, Mermaids Have Always Been Black.