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Bren MacDibble Bren MacDibble i(A74006 works by) (a.k.a. Brenda MacDibble)
Also writes as: Cally Black
Born: Established:
c
New Zealand,
c
Pacific Region,
;
Gender: Female
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BiographyHistory

A Melbourne-based author, Bren MacDibble began writing in 1999. Writing for both adults and children, she has published a number of children's books and her (science fiction) short stories have appeared in various publications.

After spending her formative years in New Zealand, MacDibble travelled extensively and has spent time living in Tauranga, Frankfurt, London, Auckland and Sydney before settling in Melbourne.

In 2017, she released her first book for a young-adult readership, In the Dark Places, under the writing name Cally Black; the novel had previously won the 2015 Ampersand Award.

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • For information about this author's works for children not included in AustLit, see Australian Children's Books by Marcie Muir and Kerry White (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1992-2003).

Personal Awards

2019 shortlisted Ditmar Awards Best New Talent
2017 recipient The Neilma Sidney Literary Travel Fund

$2,999 awarded for a research trip through rural New South Wales and Victoria to inform her dystopian, climate-focused novel, which explores the extinction of grass.

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Across the Risen Sea Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2020 19098153 2020 single work children's fiction children's fantasy

''It's one of them days when everything is off. A hot sweaty night in Rusty Bus means we kids is all grouchy-tired. Me and my best friend, Jaguar, is trying to cool down by taking turns at dipping in the sea pool. Him standing on the sea wall made from car frames and rocks on lookout for crocs, me swimming, then we'll swap places. We's always doing things as a team, him and me. We's gonna be the best fisher people and the best salvagers on the whole of the inland sea one day.'

'Neoma and Jag and their small community are 'living gentle lives' on high ground surrounded by the risen sea that has caused widespread devastation. When strangers from the Valley of the Sun arrive unannounced, the friends find themselves drawn into a web of secrecy and lies that endangers the way of life of their entire community. Soon daring, loyal Neoma must set off on a solo mission across the risen sea, determined to rescue her best friend and find the truth that will save her village.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2021 shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards Eight to 10 Years
2020 shortlisted Western Australian Premier's Book Awards Premier's Prize for Writing for Children
2021 finalist New Zealand Book Awards Wright Family Foundation Esther Glen Junior Fiction Award
2021 longlisted Sir Julius Vogel Awards Best Youth Novel
2021 finalist Aurealis Awards for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction Children's Division
2021 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Books
2021 nominated CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book
2021 shortlisted APA Book Design Awards Best Designed Children’s Fiction Book designed by Joanna Hunt
2021 nominated Carnegie Medal (UK)
y separately published work icon The Dog Runner Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2019 14967867 2019 single work children's fiction children's

'Ella and her brother Emery are alone in a city that's starving to death. If they are going to survive, they must get away, upcountry, to find Emery's mum. But how can two kids travel such big distances across a dry, barren and dangerous landscape? Well, when you've got a few big doggos, the answer is you go mushing. When Emery is injured, Ella finds herself suddenly responsible for safely navigating the wheeled dog-sled through rough terrain, and even rougher encounters with desperate people.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2020 shortlisted CBCA Book of the Year Awards Book of the Year: Younger Readers
2019 winner Aurealis Awards for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction Children's Division
2020 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book
2020 shortlisted APA Book Design Awards Best Designed Children’s Fiction Book designed by Joanna Hunt
2020 shortlisted The Readings Children’s Book Prize
2020 shortlisted West Australian Young Readers' Book Award Older Readers
2020 nominated Carnegie Medal (UK)
y separately published work icon How to Bee Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2017 10212727 2017 single work children's fiction children's

'Sometimes bees get too big to be up in the branches, sometimes they fall and break their bones. This week both happened and Foreman said, 'Tomorrow we'll find two new bees.'

'Peony lives with her sister and grandfather on a fruit farm outside the city. In a world where real bees are extinct, the quickest, bravest kids climb the fruit trees and pollinate the flowers by hand. All Peony really wants is to be a bee. Life on the farm is a scrabble, but there is enough to eat and a place to sleep, and there is love. Then Peony's mother arrives to take her away from everything she has ever known, and all Peony's grit and quick thinking might not be enough to keep her safe.

'How To Bee is a beautiful and fierce novel for younger readers, and the voice of Peony will stay with you long after you read the last page.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2018 shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards Eight to 10 Years
2018 shortlisted New Zealand Book Awards Junior Fiction
2018 finalist Norma K. Hemming Award Long Work
2018 winner CBCA Book of the Year Awards Book of the Year: Younger Readers
2018 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Books
2018 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Younger Readers
2018 shortlisted Ditmar Awards Best Novel
2017 shortlisted Aurealis Awards for Excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction Children's Division
2018 shortlisted Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Award for Children's Literature
2017 shortlisted Queensland Literary Awards Children's Book Award
Last amended 10 Jun 2019 13:18:08
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