Meg Caddy's 'A Flash in the Dust' wins the ARA Historical Novel Prize in the CYA category
We are delighted to announce that Meg Caddy's 'A Flash in the Dust' has won the ARA Historical Novel Prize in the Children's and Young Adult Category!
The ARA Historical Novel Award is the richest individual literary prize in Australia and New Zealand, with prize money of $155,000, the ARA Historical Novel Prize gives Australian and New Zealand historical novelists the chance to be recognised in a class of their own, with the most significant individual prize purse for literature in Australasia. The Prize incorporates both an Adult category and a category for Children and Young Adult (CYA).
In Meg Caddy's 'A Flash in the Dust' it's 1899 - a time when bush rangers patrol the roads, and girls who don't behave find themselves institutionalised. Grounded confidently in its research, A Flash in the Dust brings queer adolescents back in from the fringes of history, and is a 'powerful reminder to contemporary readers that everyone's lives deserve a place on the page.
When asked for comment, author Meg Caddy said:
I'm humbled and thrilled to receive the ARA Historical Novel Prize in the CYA category. Thank you to the judges, and the ARA Group and HNSA for their generosity. Flash is inspired by Australian histories of queer courage, resourcefulness, and joy.
Congratulations again Meg!
To read the judge's comments and more, click here.
