the portal

For those budding Scotch Scribes looking for a role model, here’s an interesting list of authors who were published whilst still under the age of 20 (or who wrote their books that young but were published later). 

Teen/Child published authors
*       Nancy Yi Fan: Swordbird (published at 12 yrs)
*       Zlata Filipovic: Zlata’s diary (written 11-13 years; publ. 13))
*       Flavia Bujor: The prophecy of the stones (14)
*       Atwater-Jones, Amelia: In the forests of the night (14)
*       Alexandra Adornetto: The Shadow thief (14)
*       Sonya Hartnett: Trouble all the way (15)
*       Catherine Webb: Mirror dreams (16)
*       Francoise Sagan: Bonjour Tristesse (16)
*       Robert Louis Stevenson: The Pentland Rising (16)
*       SE Hinton: The Outsiders (17)
*       Christopher Paolini: Eragon (18)
*       Simon French: Hey, phantom singlet (18)
*       Mary Shelley: Frankenstein (19)
*       Helen Oyeyemi: The Icarus girl (19)
*       Jack Heath: The Lab (19)
*       Scott Monk: Boyz are us (19)

       Published as adults
*       Daisy Ashford: The Young visiters (sic) (written at 9; publ. 38)
*       Anne Frank: Diary of a young girl (written at 13-15 years; publ.
posthumously)
*       Isobelle Carmody: Obernewtyn (begun when the author was 15; publ.
29)
*       Louisa May Allcott: Flower fables (written at 16; publ. 22) & The
Inheritance (written at 17, publ. posthumously)

       Close, but no cigar
*       Matthew Riley (20)
*       Catherine Jinks (26)

Thanks to Craig Edgman, Teacher-librarian, for compiling this list.

Mrs Sweeney

 For aspiring Scotch Scribes…Brigid Lowry will be running a workshop on creative writing, recommended for years 7-10, on Saturday 30 August, 1-3pm.
Where? Conference Centre, State Library of Victoria
Level 2A, La Trobe Street, Melbourne.

Cost? $7 per person.

Book at 03 8664 7555 or bookings@slv.vic.gov.au

You can read parts of Brigid’s book Juicy Writing here.

Mrs Sweeney