UQP acquires new novel by award-winning children’s author Peter Carnavas

UQP is delighted to announce that we have acquired Peter Carnavas’ second novel for children, My Brother Ben.

Offering a rich narrative that centres on sibling relationships, the story follows brothers Luke and Ben as they explore the banks of their local creek, longing for a boat of their own. A local competition offers a chance to win a dinghy and their dreams might just come true. But when Ben begins high school, his bird-loving little brother gets left behind. Can Luke do it alone?

‘My Brother Ben perfectly captures the bond of siblings – from mercilessly teasing to fiercely defending each other in the blink of an eye,’ says Clair Hume, UQP Commissioning Editor, Children’s. ‘It’s a delight to be publishing this new work from Peter. His writing shows young readers a kind and complex world with subtle humour. I can’t wait to share this gem with the world.’

Peter’s previous junior fiction bestseller The Elephant won the Queensland Literary Award Children’s Book Award in 2018 and was shortlisted in the Australian Book Industry Awards, the CBCA’s and the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. Since publication it has sold into ten international territories.

Peter is the author and illustrator of twenty other titles. He says ‘there’s nothing quite like the bond between brothers, the parallels of love and anger that mark every game of backyard cricket, every bike race along the bitumen. My Brother Ben is my chance to explore the humour, joy and tension of these relationships, along with a love of birds.’

My Brother Ben will be published in the second half of 2021.

For more information please contact Louise Cornegé, Marketing & Publicity Manager, on louisec@uqp.uq.edu.au or 07 3346 7932.