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Sofie Laguna Sofie Laguna i(A69209 works by)
Born: Established: 1968 Sydney, New South Wales, ;
Gender: Female
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Works By

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1 1 y separately published work icon The Song of Lewis Carmichael Sofie Laguna , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2021 22115439 2021 single work children's fiction children's adventure

'A beautiful, illustrated adventure story with a classic feel, about a quiet boy and a talking crow on an extraordinary hot-air balloon ride to the Arctic.

'Matthew stood on the snowy peak and stared out at the world spread before him. Every picture in his books had been limited by the size of the page, contained within frames. Here, there was no frame. Here, the picture didn't end. Beyond those icy plains, the sea, and beyond the sea, a land that floated on the ice, drifting northwards. Matthew put the binoculars to his eyes and saw valleys and cliffs and rivers all made of snow. Everywhere was white.

'Matthew has dreamed and read and thought about the North Pole for as long as he can remember. And he has done it secretly. It is a place that cannot be tarnished by the world in which he lives - a world in which he struggles to find answers and make friends, while everything seems to come easily to other children.

'But one day, a crow called Lewis Carmichael lands at Matthew's window - a crow who believes in Matthew in the most simple and ordinary ways. Soon, the unexpected voyage of a lifetime begins, and it will change everything…

'An unforgettable adventure story from award-winning children's book author Sofie Laguna, with enchanting illustrations by Marc McBride.' (Publication summary)

1 What I’m Reading Sofie Laguna , 2020 single work column
— Appears in: Meanjin Online 2020;
1 6 y separately published work icon Infinite Splendours Sofie Laguna , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2020 19846353 2020 single work novel

'Lawrence Loman is a bright, caring, curious boy with a gift for painting. He lives at home with his mother and younger brother, and the future is laid out before him, full of promise. But when he is ten, an experience of betrayal takes it all away, and Lawrence is left to deal with the devastating aftermath.

'As he grows into a man, how will he make sense of what he has suffered? He cannot rewrite history, but must he be condemned to repeat it?

'Lawrence finds meaning in the best way he knows. By surrendering himself to art and nature, he creates beauty - beauty made all the more astonishing and soulful for the deprivation that gives rise to it.

'Infinite Splendours is an extraordinary novel, incandescent with love and compassion, rich in colour and character. The power and virtuosity of Laguna's writing make it impossible for us to look away; and by being seen, Lawrence is redeemed.

'And we, as readers, have had our minds and hearts opened in ways we can't forget.' (Publication summary)

3 8 y separately published work icon The Choke Sofie Laguna , Sydney : Allen and Unwin , 2017 11520939 2017 single work novel

'Abandoned by her mother and only occasionally visited by her secretive father, Justine is raised by her pop, a man tormented by visions of the Burma Railway. Justine finds sanctuary in Pop's chooks and The Choke, where the banks of the Murray River are so narrow it seems they might touch - a place of staggering natural beauty. But the river can't protect Justine from danger. Her father is a criminal, and the world he exposes her to can be lethal.

'Justine is overlooked and underestimated, a shy and often silent observer of her chaotic world. She learns that she has to make sense of it on her own. She has to find ways to survive so much neglect. She must hang on to friendship when it comes, she must hide when she has to, and ultimately she must fight back.

'The Choke is a brilliant, haunting novel about a child navigating an often dark and uncaring world of male power and violence, in which grown-ups can't be trusted and comfort can only be found in nature. This compassionate and claustrophobic vision of a child in danger and a society in trouble celebrates above all the indomitable nature of the human spirit.' (Synopsis)

1 Australia in Three Books Sofie Laguna , 2016 single work essay
— Appears in: Meanjin , Autumn vol. 75 no. 1 2016; (p. 21-23)
Sofie Laguna shares her thoughts and memories on the reading of three Australian books.
1 Me My Shelf I : Sofie Laguna Sofie Laguna , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: Good Reading , September 2015; (p. 14-16)
1 Miles Franklin: Sofie Laguna's Extract from Eye of the Sheep: 'Jimmy Isn't Aware of How High the Stakes Are' Sofie Laguna , 2015 extract novel (The Eye of the Sheep)
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 20 June 2015;
1 Fiction from the Inside Sonya Hartnett , Sofie Laguna , Joan London , Christine Piper , Craig Sherborne , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 20-21 June 2015; (p. 26-27) The Age , 20 June 2015; (p. 26)
1 Stella Prize 2015: The Shortlisted Authors on the Stories behind Their Books Emily Bitto , Christine Kenneally , Sofie Laguna , Ellen van Neerven , Maxine Beneba Clarke , Joan London , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 17 April 2015;
3 22 y separately published work icon The Eye of the Sheep Sofie Laguna , Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2014 7586846 2014 single work novel historical fiction

'Ned was beside me, his messages running easily through him, with space between each one, coming through him like water. He was the go-between, going between the animal kingdom and this one. I watched the waves as they rolled and crashed towards us, one after another, never stopping, always changing. I knew what was making them come, I had been there and I would always know.

'Meet Jimmy Flick. He's not like other kids - he's both too fast and too slow. He sees too much, and too little. Jimmy's mother Paula is the only one who can manage him. She teaches him how to count sheep so that he can fall asleep. She holds him tight enough to stop his cells spinning. It is only Paula who can keep Jimmy out of his father's way. But when Jimmy's world falls apart, he has to navigate the unfathomable world on his own, and make things right.' (Publication summary)

1 1 y separately published work icon 1836 : Do You Dare? : Fighting Bones Sofie Laguna , Melbourne : Penguin , 2014 7575813 2014 single work children's fiction children's historical fiction

'Fighting Bones is the convict-era adventure in this series of exciting, action-packed Australian stories for boys aged 8 to 12.

'Irish brothers Danny and Declan Sheehan are inmates at Tasmania's Point Puer prison for convict boys in 1836. When tragedy strikes and the prison bully is on the rampage, escape is their only chance to survive... But will they dare?

'It's an adventure in history.' (Publication summary)

1 3 y separately published work icon Where Are You, Banana? Sofie Laguna , Craig Smith (illustrator), East Melbourne : Allen and Unwin , 2013 Z1930781 2013 single work picture book children's ''Banana! Where are you?' Banana is Roddy's best friend and Roddy can't find him anywhere! Who will sleep on his bed at night? Who will pull him along on his scooter and chase Aunt Celia's chickens and chew Mum's shoes? Banana is Roddy's best friend, and Roddy knows he has to find him, no matter what... From two much-loved creators comes a warm and humorous story about a boy, a dog, and an ingenious rescue that will delight the whole family.' (Publisher's blurb)
1 y separately published work icon The Grace Stories Sofie Laguna , Crows Nest : Penguin Books , 2013 7210959 2013 selected work children's fiction historical fiction

'For the first time, read all four Grace stories in one beautiful hardback edition.

'It's 1808 . . .

'and Grace's world is about to change - from her tough life as a mudlark on the River Thames in London, to the adventures and challenges she faces as a servant girl in a new country.

'Journey with Grace across all four exciting stories about a convict girl who's given a second chance.

'Dreamy, thoughtful, brave and compassionate, Grace is an unforgettable Australian Girl.' (Publication summary)

1 Learning to Fly Sofie Laguna , 2012 single work prose
— Appears in: Things a Map Won't Show You : Stories from Australia and Beyond 2012; (p. 95-100)
1 My Boy Sofie Laguna , Marc McBride , 2012 single work poetry young adult
— Appears in: Trust Me Too 2012;
1 y separately published work icon A Home for Grace Sofie Laguna , Camberwell : Puffin , 2011 Z1811719 2011 single work children's fiction children's historical fiction 'Grace's journey concludes in this, the thrilling final book about a brave convict girl who is given a second chance. Poor Glory, the beautiful horse, is ill, and it's all Grace's fault. Her master blames her, and refuses to let her visit Hannah, her best friend. ' (Trove record)
1 y separately published work icon Grace and Glory Sofie Laguna , Camberwell : Puffin , 2011 Z1811713 2011 single work children's fiction children's historical fiction 'Grace's journey continues in this, the third of four books about a brave convict girl who is given a second chance. Grace's life as a servant gets off to a shaky start. Her master, Tom, is strict, and even though Grace means to be helpful and hardworking, she is soon in trouble. But there are good things in her new life, too - her kind mistress, Beth, the mysterious Indigenous people nearby, and Glory, the most beautiful horse that Grace has ever seen... When Tom goes away and leaves Grace in charge, there's an emergency. Can Grace save the day?' (Trove record)
1 1 y separately published work icon A Friend for Grace Sofie Laguna , Camberwell : Penguin , 2011 Z1799307 2011 single work children's fiction children's Grace's journey continues in this, the second of four books about a convict girl who is given a second chance. Grace is on board the Indispensable , being transported to New South Wales from London to start new her life as a convict servant (Libraries Australia).
1 5 y separately published work icon Meet Grace Sofie Laguna , Camberwell : Puffin , 2011 Z1758717 2011 single work children's fiction children's historical fiction

'It's 1808 . . .

'and Grace is living with her uncle in London. They have no money, and Grace is always lonely and often hungry. The best part of her day is going to Fleet Street to talk to the horses that she loves so much. One afternoon Grace can't resist taking a shiny red apple from a grocer's cart - and then another... Before she knows it, Grace is being chased through the streets! Will she be caught and sent to prison - or worse?

'Meet Grace and join her adventure in the first of four exciting stories about a brave convict girl who is given a second chance.' (From the publisher's website.)

1 1 y separately published work icon Grace Sofie Laguna , 2011 Camberwell : Puffin , 2011- Z1758699 2011 series - author children's fiction children's historical fiction

'It's 1808 and young, orphaned Grace is living in London with her Uncle Ord. Families are starving on the streets, sanitation is poor and jails are overflowing. Uncle Ord is mean to Grace and they have no money. Grace, who is always lonely and hungry, has to work as a "mudlark", searching the muddy bed of the Thames River for objects to sell. After stealing apples, Grace is arrested and transported to Australia as punishment. On board the ship Grace makes a friend, Hannah.

'Grace's story is an example of the way Australia could mean a new beginning and is told in four exciting instalments.'

Source: Our Australian Girl website, http://www.ouraustraliangirl.com.au/
Sighted: 08/02/2011

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