253 entries have been whittled down to
five: here are the works shortlisted for the $10,000 Text Prize, awarded to the
best unpublished manuscript for teenagers and children.
HOW TO BE HAPPY by David Burton
A funny, sad and serious memoir of a personal journey through
adolescence, How to Be Happy
tackles depression, sexual confusion, suicide, academic pressure and
self-discovery.
David Burton is an award-winning playwright from Brisbane. His work April’s
Fool (Playlab Press) toured nationally in 2012.
MY LIPS ARE SEALED by Christina Cain
Natalie’s best friend Esther has gone missing. And her disappearance
dredges up memories of another in this small town. A sophisticated story of
growing up, family and secrets.
Christina Cain is a writer and medical social worker from Adelaide.
HEADLAND by Caitlin Crowley
Lauren Mullens can’t wait to get out of small-town Tumboolga after
the death of her parents. Only her crippling fear of driving, a messy New
Year’s curse and Year Twelve stand in her way. A smart, relatable and witty
novel.
Caitlin Crowley is a writer, educator and mother. She lives in
Melbourne.
THE TURNERS by Mick Elliott
Leo Lennox has a problem. He has just grown a tail in the school
library. And things are about to get much worse. A laugh-out-loud adventure story for younger readers.
Sydney-based Mick Elliott is a children’s television producer and
scriptwriter at Nickelodeon. He has won more than twenty international awards
for his work on shows including Camp Orange and the Kids Choice Awards.
WHEN THE SKY FALLS by Erin O’Brien
Nelson Durack, a dementia patient, is slowly reliving the thirteen
weeks of his time at boarding school that are all he can remember of his life.
A heartfelt debut novel.
Erin O’Brien is a sixteen-year-old student from Adelaide. Her short
story ‘The Size of the Sky’ was published
in the collection Tales from the Sleeping Dragon in 2012.
The winner of the 2014 Text
Prize will be announced at 1pm on Saturday 17 May
at the Children’s Book
Council of Australia conference in Canberra.
The 2013
winner, The
Minnow by Diana Sweeney, will be launched by Nadia Wheatley at the
same conference.
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