Book Launch – Please Come!

We’re having a Melbourne book launch for Spirit of the Crocodile – please come!

6pm Thursday 3 April
Readings Kids, 315 Lygon St, Carlton

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.

Aaron Fa’Aoso and I will be in conversation with renowned editor Lyn White, then signing books and staying for a chat. Come along and say hello!

There may be crocodiles, there may even be cupcakes.
Free event but bookings are essential – click here to reserve your spot

Early reviews have been AMAZING!

Independent industry journal Books and Publishing said:

“This mature and nuanced story deals extensively with climate change, particularly around the injustices faced by low-lying island communities … Spirit of the Crocodile will be a brilliant classroom text, sitting alongside works by Gary Lonesborough and Kirli Saunders, while also being one of a growing range of middle-grade Torres Strait Islander books.”

ABC Radio Presenter (and crossword guy) David Astle called it “A vivid trip to another world.”

Highly respected online reviewer The Book Muse said, as part of a much longer review:

“I found this book a wonderful way to discover Torres Strait Islander culture and language, where we see Ezra and his community celebrating it, how important it is to them. And it does a great job of explaining various practices or words and phrases in a gentle way that celebrates diversity. It celebrates this long-lived culture and how people like Ezra’s community have worked to combine their practices with modernity, to learn and have their voices heard in an ever-changing world.

It’s filled with tender moments, moments of education and moments of worry as Ezra’s carefree life continues to change, What Spirit of the Crocodile does is bring what people know and don’t know together, expands on it, and showcases the culture of Ezra and his family. It celebrates the importance of culture, ceremonies and cultural practices for Torres Strait Islander people and by extension, could spark a conversation about what different readers see as their culture and how this has informed their lives or shown them where they come from. It’s powerful as well – giving Torres Strait Islander people a voice, showing how they live, and that co-operation between people of all backgrounds is what will help us in times of need … This is a great book to either start learning or continue learning with, especially as it is peppered with accessible, gentle explanations about things that speak directly to the reader to help them get into Ezra’s world.”

Better Read Kids, an excellent specialist bookshop in Sydney has made Spirit of the Crocodile its Indigenous Literacy Foundation Book of the Month and said:

“This charming coming-of-age story is perfect for late primary/early high school reads and bridges that tricky gap between kids and young adult books perfectly!”