Bren MacDibble
Bren MacDibble won the Australian Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award, as well as the New Zealand Book Award for Junior Fiction in 2018 with her novel How to Bee - and simultaneously claimed the top award in the YA category in New Zealand for her debut novel, written under the penname Cally Black. She is undoubtedly one of the most important new names to emerge from the Australian children's fiction world in recent years.
The Dog Runner is a meticulously researched, yet empathetic and gripping adventure story which will inspire young readers to think about the implications of climate change and how they will help to mitigate them. It has been shortlisted for the Red Magazine Big Book Award 2019 in the UK, as well as for the New Zealand Book Award for Junior Fiction.
After rebuilding her home, destroyed in a wildfire, Bren sold it and most of the contents and now lives in a camper van and travels around Australia, writing and teaching.
Books
Across the Risen Sea
Author: Bren MacDibble
Publisher: Old Barn Books
Interest age: 9-12
Reading age: 9+
Set in a future world where rising sea levels have collapsed the governments and everyday resources are precious commodities, Across the Risen Sea is a page-turning adventure starring a wild spark of a character who must save her home.
The Dog Runner
Author: Bren MacDibble
Publisher: Old Barn Books
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 12+
A perilous adventure with dystopian and environmental themes that cut unnervingly close to potential reality, The Dog Runner is a tense, thrilling adventure full of close calls, but also glowing with heart, whether it's the relationship between Ella and Emery or their love for the "doggos" helping them get to where they need to be.