Book Links Mentorship 2024

The Book Links Mentorship is open to all member of Book Links residing in Australia.
Applicants are invited to submit a synopsis and the first two chapters or first 6000 words of a work of fiction for either junior or YA readers, or two picture book manuscripts.

JUDGE’S REPORT
The strong field of junior fiction entered this year made it difficult to settle on a shortlist. There were also some excellent picture book concepts. The final list (in alphabetical order below) includes five novels and one picture book manuscript. The latter is a well-researched alphabet of medieval social history. The five novels are as disparate as they might be: An inventive fantasy/realism in which a young girl visits a subterranean cavern where she meets the Ancients (a society of cats); a story of lost children set against a pantheon of Sri Lankan Gods; an action/adventure narrated in two voices; an accomplished and insightful verse novel; and an impressive historical fiction set in 1930s WA. ‘Voice’ was the key element in each manuscript that earned it a place in this shortlist.

The Shortlist for the Book Links mentorship (in alphabetical order) is:
Jenny Catalano The Book of Smells: Medieval A – Z (PB)
Helen Gearing Gracie the Diamond (JF)
Cymbeline Buhler King Short Cut Home (JF)
Liane McDermott Fractured (JF)
Yvonne Mes Novaraptor (JF)
Rebecca Sheraton The Great Emu War (JF)

The winner will be announced at Book Links StoryArts Brisbane on Saturday 19 October.