BOG CHILD Wins Carnegie

Siobhan Dowd wrote BOG CHILD in 2007, just before her death from cancer. It’s a beautifully written novel, set in Northern Ireland in 1981 at the height of the Troubles, and it tells a story of growing up against a background of sectarian violence. It features a wonderful male character, and is a leading example of quality YA writing that appeals to both teens (girls and boys) and adults.

'Siobhan Dowd was a writing phenomenon. She wrote and delivered four completely different books of the highest possible standard in less than three years, a completely unprecedented rate of production in my publishing experience. None of them needed much editing. She had the seemingly effortless empathetic ability to transport the reader into the lives of her characters. And then, wonder of wonders, she was blessed with an almost pitch-perfect sense of story structure. It hardly bears thinking about what she might have achieved if she had lived,' said David Fickling, who edited all of Dowd’s books.

We have just released her last novel SOLACE OF THE ROAD and I believe it’s her most commercial book yet. Siobhan has many fans in Australia (including myself) especially in the education market and if anybody gets a chance to get their hands on a copy of BOG CHILD or SOLACE OF THE ROAD please do!