Finalist 2025 Queensland Literary Awards!
Absolutely delighted to announce that Spirit of the Crocodile has been shortlisted for the Queensland Literary Awards!
Aaron Fa’Aoso, Lyn White and I are SO pleased – and humbled. The other books on the shortlist are all fantastic.
The judges acknowledged that our happy little novel for younger readers offers “a welcoming glimpse into life on the Torres Strait Islands, including culture, community resilience, and the deep sense of responsibility for Country.”
I’d also add that it’s laugh-out-loud funny, just sayin!
Part of the Queensland Literary Awards, the Children’s Book Award is for an outstanding work by an Australian writer suitable for for children up to 12 years of age. The winners will be announced at a ceremony held at the Queensland State Library on Friday 26 September 2025.
About the book
The crocodile’s eyes were yellow, slit by a vertical pupil. The creature remained perfectly still, but it throbbed with life. Ezra felt goosebumps in spite of the afternoon heat, and took a few steps back.
‘Is that thing looking at you?’ asked Mason.
‘Nah. How could it be?’
Twelve-year old Ezra is an ordinary boy who lives on Saibai, an extraordinary Australian island. He loves a laugh, he loves his family, and – almost more than anything – he loves a dare.
But when one of his dares goes wrong, Ezra realises he needs to make some decisions about helping out and measuring up. He learns that there’s more than one way to look at, well, nearly everything.
As ever increasing climate disasters threaten Saibai, Ezra and his best mate Mason must draw on their resilience and courage to help the community survive a massive out-of-season storm.
Set in today’s Torres Strait, Spirit of the Crocodile is a captivating novel that explores the importance of culture, community and place to a carefree kid on the cusp of growing up.
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