Novels
From the historical drama of The Year It All Ended to the magical realism of The Four Seasons of Lucy McKenzie, Kirsty’s novels span genres and time-periods from the past to the future (and sometimes both at the same time).
Lucy McKenzie can walk through walls.
Sent to stay with her aunt in an old house in a hidden valley, Lucy discovers the house is full of mysteries. One hot, dark night, she hears a voice calling to her from deep inside one of the pictures painted on to the wall of the dining room.
On the other side of the painting, Lucy meets three children. Together they race horses through the bush, battle fire and floods, and make friendships that will last a lifetime. But who are April, Tom and Jimmy Tiger, and what magic has drawn Lucy to them?
The room was full of moon shadows and dancing light. But it was the wall around the window that Lucy couldn’t stop staring at, the one with the painting of Spring. It was as bright as a sunny day and the tiny yellow flowers that covered the fields were moving, as if a breeze had blown through the painting and set all the petals dancing. Then she heard the voice again. It sounded like a child’s voice coming out of the painting. She looked again and in the distance, on the far side of the painted valley she could see the tiny figure of a girl. And the girl was waving, beckoning to Lucy and calling her name.
The story of a magical house full of paintings has been with me since I was a child. Avendale, the mysterious (and fictitious) old house that Lucy McKenzie visits, is loosely based on three houses that once belonged to members of my family. Riversdale, near Nowra in NSW, is now part of the Bundanon Trust and is as beautiful as ever. The Grange in Harkaway in Victoria, was demolished when I was still in primary school though I visited it once shortly before it slid into a quarry. Lastly, Tralee, a house that really did have the four seasons painted (by my great-grandmother) on the walls of its dining room, was burned to the ground in the February bushfires of 2009. The Four Seasons of Lucy McKenzie grew out of the ashes of those fires. Nothing is lost as long as its story is told.
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VULTURE'S WAKE (USA)
Genre: Dystopian
Girls are extinct. Chaos Rules. Welcome to the future.
One Girl- Could she be the last girl alive?
One Boy - Kidnapped by ruthless men.
An action-packed adventure with a chilling social twist.
When Bo rescues Callum from death in the burning desert, she is forced to leave her underground home. In search of Callum’s fathers, they journey across a dangerous continent, escaping outstationers, street gangs and terrorists, but nothing can prepare them for the world that awaits in Vulture’s Gate.
Future worlds help us to understand the world we live in right now. The premise for Vulture’s Gate might seem futuristic but worldwide, here and now in the early 21st century, there are estimated to be up to 100 million ‘missing girls’ – girls who should have survived to adulthood. What would the future world look like if nature followed our lead and created a virus that made it impossible for baby girls to survive?
See Teachers Notes
VULTURE'S GATE (AU)
Genre: Dystopian
Girls are extinct. Chaos Rules. Welcome to the future.
One Girl- Could she be the last girl alive?
One Boy - Kidnapped by ruthless men.
An action-packed adventure with a chilling social twist.
When Bo rescues Callum from death in the burning desert, she is forced to leave her underground home. In search of Callum’s fathers, they journey across a dangerous continent, escaping outstationers, street gangs and terrorists, but nothing can prepare them for the world that awaits in Vulture’s Gate.
Future worlds help us to understand the world we live in right now. The premise for Vulture’s Gate might seem futuristic but worldwide, here and now in the early 21st century, there are estimated to be up to 100 million ‘missing girls’ – girls who should have survived to adulthood. What would the future world look like if nature followed our lead and created a virus that made it impossible for baby girls to survive?
See Teachers Notes
Genre: Time-slip
Age range 11-14
Things unravel so fast. One day Sam is a kid with a straightforward life, next moment he’s sucked into a time warp and flung back a hundred years. Meeting Flea, Gertie and the gang is just the start of a crazy adventure with Sam on the run from police, sleeping outside the morgue, laying bets on horse races, fighting thieves and larrikins.An accident in a shooting gallery confronts Sam with the hardest decision he’s ever had to make. Can he change the past – and his own future?
The Queen Victoria Markets is in the heart of Melbourne. Originally built in 1878 beside the city’s cemetery it slowly grew to cover all the old graves. It’s not hard to imagine that wandering between the colourful market stalls, a boy could easily stumble through a time portal.
Like all great cities, Melbourne has intriguing pockets of history that most people fail to notice as they hurry past its old buildings. In Market Blues, the ghosts of a city come to life and tell their stories for a new generation.
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A story of secrets, lies and lost innocence.
MADRAS 1910: Poesy Swift and Tilly Sweetrick are caught up in a scandal that will change their lives forever.
Singing and dancing across a hundred stages as members of a troupe of child performers, they travel into the heart of India. But as one disaster follows another, money runs short and tempers fray. What must the girls do to protect themselves and how many lives will be ruined if they try to break free?
Based on a true story, India Dark recreates shifting friendships, the clash of innocence versus experience, set against the backdrop of India in the age of Empire.
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India Dark - Templar Books - UK edition
Published as India Dark in Australia and the UK and as The Lilliputians in India.
The UK edition of India Dark was published by Templar Books. Purchase links will take you to the AU edition, published by Allen & Unwin.
A story of secrets, lies and lost innocence.
MADRAS 1910: Poesy Swift and Tilly Sweetrick are caught up in a scandal that will change their lives forever.
Singing and dancing across a hundred stages as members of a troupe of child performers, they travel into the heart of India. But as one disaster follows another, money runs short and tempers fray. What must the girls do to protect themselves and how many lives will be ruined if they try to break free?
Based on a true story, India Dark recreates shifting friendships, the clash of innocence versus experience, set against the backdrop of India in the age of Empire.
Published as India Dark in Australia and the UK.
This is the Indian edition of India Dark published by Zubaan Books. This edition is unavailable for purchase in Australia. Purchase links will take you to the AU edition, published by Allen & Unwin.
A story of secrets, lies and lost innocence.
MADRAS 1910: Poesy Swift and Tilly Sweetrick are caught up in a scandal that will change their lives forever.
Singing and dancing across a hundred stages as members of a troupe of child performers, they travel into the heart of India. But as one disaster follows another, money runs short and tempers fray. What must the girls do to protect themselves and how many lives will be ruined if they try to break free?
Based on a true story, India Dark recreates shifting friendships, the clash of innocence versus experience, set against the backdrop of India in the age of Empire.
BRIDIE’S FIRE | 1848 – 1852
THE CHILDREN OF THE WIND SERIES | BOOK I
Bridie’s world is torn apart when her parents and baby brother die in the Great Hunger. She leaves Ireland, and strikes out alone to claim a life for herself in Australia, on the other side of the ocean.
Between 1848 and 1850 over 4 000 girls between the ages of nine and sixteen were taken from workhouses in Ireland and sent to Australia. Most of them had lost at least one parent to the Great Hunger, the Irish potato famine of 1845-1850.
Bridie O’Connor is eleven years old when her story begins in Dingle, Ireland. Her adventures are based on the true history of the children of the Irish famine. Tragedy sends her across the globe to find a new home in Australia where the gold rush of the 1850s will open up a whole new future for Bridie.
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Becoming Billy Dare| 1896 – 1899
The Children of the Wind Series | Book II
Paddy Delaney survives the terrors of shipwreck but can he make a life for himself in a strange new land? On the road with a travelling circus, on the run with a wild child, and sleeping rough on the mean streets of Melbourne, Paddy learns to live by his wits. Each adventure brings him closer to discovering his true gift.
Character, choice and destiny intertwine in this richly detailed historical novel.
From the cloisters of an Irish seminary to the drama of the Australian theatre scene, from the shearer’s strike to larrikin street battles, Billy Dare’s story is enmeshed with the birth of a nation. The 1890s was the era of the famous bush poet Henry Lawson and Henry Parkes, father of Australian federation, a decade that celebrated the awakening of Australia’s national identity. Alone in a foreign land Paddy Delaney reinvents himself as Billy Dare while around him Australia invents itself as a new nation.
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Children of the Wind Book III - 1954-1956
Historical Fiction
Older Children/Young Adult 10-14+
Colm is on the run, determined to escape from the cruelties of Bindoon Boys’ Home. He strikes up an unexpected friendship with Billy Dare and his dog Rusty, and together they travel from the goldfields of Kalgoorlie to the rugged north. Whether they’re working along the Dog Fence, eluding the police or confronting a wild boar, they’re a team. When Bill’s life is at risk, it’s up to Colm to go in search of the mysterious Blue Delaney and lay to rest the ghosts that haunt them both.
This action packed story, set in the 1950s, continues the richly detailed historical quartet that began with Bridie’s Fire and Becoming Billy Dare.
Australia has a long history of child migration schemes. Since early convict days, thousands of orphaned children have been sent to Australia from all around the world. Many of them were of Irish descent. After World War II, thousands of children were taken from orphanages in the UK and Malta and shipped to Australia, often against their will. These children are sometimes referred to as the ‘forgotten Australians’. They were sent to institutions all over the country. Many suffered unspeakable hardship and cruelty. Their stories are an important part of Australia’s complex history.
A Prayer for Blue Delaney is also available in an abridged English language edition that is widely used in secondary schools in Germany.
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Older Children/Young Adult - Contemporary Fiction
The Secret Life of Maeve Lee Kwong | 2004 – 2005
The Children of the Wind Series | Book IV
When Maeve is sent to live with her strict Chinese grandparents, she must fight to hold onto the things she loves most – her two best friends, her dancing, her baby brother Ned. Secretly she pins her hopes on her Irish father, who doesn’t even know she exists. From Sydney to Surfers, from Hong Kong to Ireland, Maeve searches for a path to follow, a place to belong.
A story about true friends, scattered family, and the life you make for yourself.
Maeve Lee Kwong is fourteen years old and caught in a moment in time, between two sides of her family and two worlds. Connected to generations of immigrants from around the world, Maeve’s story is intertwined with characters from each of the novels in the Children of the Wind series and brings the series to a close.
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Age Guide:: Older Children/Young Adult - 10-14 years
The day Marie-Claire walks into PJ’s life, everything changes. Whether they are wagging school or just hanging out on the beach, Marie-Claire can make any day an adventure. But why won’t she let PJ visit her house? What really happened to her older brother? And why won’t she listen when PJ tries to steer them out of trouble?
In 1973, I started a short story about a girl who was a mixture of everything I loved and everything that drove me crazy in my friends. I never finished the short story but when I grew up it became a novel. Some things never change and being thirteen years old is always complicated.
Walking Home with Marie-Claire is about being brave and crazy and loyal. It’s about making the wrong choices and doing the right thing. It’s about the stories girls tell and the secrets friends keep. It’s about growing up and still being yourself, no matter what.
Before he came to Zarconi’s, Gus didn’t even know he had grandparents, let alone ones who juggled knives and ate fire. Now he’s caught up in their world of magicians, stilt-walkers, tattooed tenthands, elephant turds – and there’s a snake-girl who might become his best friend or his worst enemy. But why is everyone so secretive about Gus’s family? Why won’t they let him on the trapeze? Is it true that Zarconi’s is cursed?
A fast-moving story of discovery, change and identity with all the drama of life under the big top.
Thousands of children around the world work in family circuses. Many of Gus and Effie’s adventures in Zarconi’s Magic Flying Fish are based on the true stories of child circus performers.
Australia has a long circus history full of amazing yarns. Many people don’t realize that Australia also has the highest number of circuses per person in the world. Circuses played an important part in the development of Australia and were often the only form of entertainment for people living in isolated areas. For all Australians, circus magic is fixed deep inside our collective memory.
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Picture Books
Shadow Catchers is Kirsty’s third collaboration with the talented illustrator Karen Blair.
Shadow Catchers was shortlisted for the 2023 Speech Pathology Australia Book of the year Award for 3-5 year olds. It was also a 2024 CBCA Notable Book in the Early Childhood category.
When Billy was a Dog was a CBCA 2020 Honour Book and was shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Award.
Kirsty & Karen’s debut picture book Puddle Hunters, was short-listed for the WA Premier’s Book Award and included in the Victorian Premier’s ‘Baby Bundle’ given to all newborns in Victoria. It is currently available as a board book.
A delightful picture book that celebrates the joy of young children trying to catch their shadows - from the creators of CBCA Honour Book When Billy was a Dog and Puddle Hunters.
On sunshiny mornings, we go shadow catching.
Inside, outside, in our home and in our neighbourhood, shadows dance around us from morning through to night.
Our shadows are so tall, then small, then tall again in sunlight, lamplight and even in the moonlight.
A wonderful picture book about playfulness and the joy of light and movement.
If you can’t have a puppy, maybe the next best thing is to be a puppy.
‘Can I please, please, please have a dog?’ asked Billy.
‘Would you walk it every day and wash it if it got dirty?’
‘I would, I promise!’ said Billy.
Billy wants a dog. He really, really, really wants one.
Billy’s parents aren’t so sure. So one morning, Billy takes matters into his own paws.
A gloriously funny, warm and true story beautifully illustrated by Karen Blair.
When the rain stops it’s time to go puddle hunting. Ruby and Banjo go up the street, through the park, over the bridge and down to the river flats where the puddles lie waiting …
Splosh it, Ruby! Splosh it, Banjo!
A glorious celebration of splashing and squelching.
Non Fiction
Kirsty’s first love was non-fiction and she continues to pursue innovative and interesting non-fiction projects. Three early non-fiction titles that Kirsty wrote in the 1990s are no longer available: Howard Florey - Miracle Maker, Man-eaters and Bloodsuckers, and Tough Stuff.
Strangers on Country and Topsy-turvy World were both CBCA Honour Books in the Eve Pownall Award for Information Books category.
To the first Europeans who came to Australia, everything seemed topsy- turvy. Christmas was in summer. Trees shed their bark but not their leaves. Strange animals bounded across the landscape.
Topsy-turvy World takes a close look at Australia’s ‘strangest’ animals. Through stories about real historical characters and events, the experiences of explorers and early settlers are brought to life. Each story is followed by factual information on the true nature of fifteen iconic Australian animals.
Topsy-turvy World is extensively illustrated with beautiful, original 18th and 19th Century artwork from the collections of the National Library of Australia.
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When the future looks dark, courageous kids bring light and hope into the world. Forty true stories celebrate kids who have protested, prayed, rebelled, saved lives, earned a fortune, lost everything, become world-famous, or fought to survive war and oppression. Fearless kids, feral kids, Olympic champions, human-rights crusaders, climate-change warriors, princes and prisoners, workers and whiz-kids – they all show the true courage of real kids.
From the distant past to the present moment, kids have made their mark on history; and now they’re set to change the world.
These stories aren’t about being famous. They’re about kids who saved lives, came up with big ideas, survived terrible circumstances and believed they could make a difference. Not all of these stories have happy endings, and some of the children are still growing up so their futures are not yet written.
History is full of stories of kids who have done amazing things, but I chose the stories for this book because each of these children has shown incredible courage. The word ‘courage’ comes from the Latin word cor (heart). These kids faced some of the toughest challenges that any human being can confront, yet they stayed true to their heartfelt beliefs. Whether they lived or died, thrived or simply survived, the children in this book help us to understand the true meaning of courage.
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Imagine you find a stranger on your favourite beach. They are pale, starving, desperate for shelter and speak a language you can’t understand. Despite your fears, you treat them with kindness. You feed them and comfort them. They become like family to you and learn how to live on country.
‘Strangers on Country’ describes the experiences of six Europeans who were taken in by Indigenous communities of eastern Australia between the 1820s and 1870s. The shipwreck survivors and runaway convicts stayed alive only through their hosts’ generosity.
Too often Australian history is told only from a European perspective. Imagining events from both Indigenous Australian and European perspectives, the authors have brought to life remarkable true stories that inspire connection and understanding.
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Anthologies, Junior Fiction, and other work
Kirsty’s short stories are included in a range of anthologies. As both editor and contributor, Kirsty worked with a team to create Eat the Sky, Drink The Ocean, a ground-breaking anthology of short stories by writers from Australia and India. She’s also authored several ‘chapter books’ for early readers.
Be transported into dystopian cities and alternate universes. Hang out with unicorns, cyborgs and pixies. Learn how to waltz in outer space. Be amazed and beguiled by a fairy tale with an unexpected twist, a futuristic take on a TV cooking show, and a playscript with tentacles. In other words, get ready for a wild ride!
This anthology is a groundbreaking collection of speculative fiction by twenty of India and Australia’s most talented writers and illustrators. I co-edited the book along with Indian authors Anita Roy and Payal Dhar and the collaborative process was both intense and richly rewarding. The collection includes 73 pages of graphically illustrated short stories, ten prose stories and a playscript that I co-wrote with Manjula Padmanabhan.
Contributors include:
Samhita Arni, Kuzhali Manickavel, Manjula Padmanabhan, Vandana Singh, Payal Dhar, Anita Roy, Annie Zaidi, Penni Russon, Kate Constable, Isobelle Carmody, Justine Larbalestier, Alyssa Brugman, Kirsty Murray, Margo Lanagan, Priya Kuriyan, Prabha Mallya, Amruta Pail, Lily Mae Martin, Nicki Greenberg and Mandy Ord.
See Teachers Notes
Be transported into dystopian cities and alternate universes. Hang out with unicorns, cyborgs and pixies. Learn how to waltz in outer space. Be amazed and beguiled by a fairy tale with an unexpected twist, a futuristic take on a TV cooking show, and a playscript with tentacles. In other words, get ready for a wild ride!
This anthology is a groundbreaking collection of speculative fiction by twenty of India and Australia’s most talented writers and illustrators. I co-edited the book along with Indian authors Anita Roy and Payal Dhar and the collaborative process was both intense and richly rewarding. The collection includes 73 pages of graphically illustrated short stories, ten prose stories and a playscript that I co-wrote with Manjula Padmanabhan.
Contributors include:Samhita Arni, Kuzhali Manickavel, Manjula Padmanabhan, Vandana Singh, Payal Dhar, Anita Roy, Annie Zaidi, Penni Russon, Kate Constable, Isobelle Carmody, Justine Larbalestier, Alyssa Brugman, Kirsty Murray, Margo Lanagan, Priya Kuriyan, Prabha Mallya, Amruta Pail, Lily Mae Martin, Nicki Greenberg and Mandy Ord.See Teachers Notes
A short story by Kirsty is included in each of these anthologies:
Rich and Rare - a fantasy story/magical realism - The Green Boy
Trust Me Too - a ghost story - The Night Swimmer
Short - historical fiction - Rat Swallower
When Alice decides to start a book club, she imagines sharing cupcakes and stories with her best friends. She’s not at all sure she wants know-it-all Sophie to be a member…
I’m a member of two book clubs and although we don’t have our meetings in a treehouse like Alice and her friends, we do eat cake and share stories. Anyone who loves books knows there’s nothing better than sharing a good story with friends.
Ever since I began writing for children I’ve wanted to write a title for the iconic Australian children’s series, Aussie Bites. The illustrations in The Clever Cats Book Club is based on a family story so I was very pleased when Florence Boyd, my cousin, was chosen to do the illustrations.
A spoon can change your life. Escaping through a pantry window with a silver spoon stuffed into his pocket, George can’t imagine what his future holds.
When George is sentenced to seven years’ hard labour in Van Diemen’s Land his only thoughts are of his sister Hannah. What can he give her to remember him when he is so far away?
A Penny to Remember is a title in the National Museum’s series of historical fiction Making Tracks. Making Tracks takes young readers on a fictional journey through some fascinating Australian stories, inspired by objects from the National Museum of Australia’s collection.
The ‘object’ that inspired A Penny to Remember was a convict love token. Between 1788 and 1850, the English sent over 162,000 convicts to Australia. Many Australians can find a convict in their family tree. Love tokens were made by or for convicts before they were sent to the other side of the world. The convicts would beat a penny until its surface was smooth and then carve a message on it for someone they loved.
My great-great-great-grandfather, John Mills, was a teenage convict who was sent to Port Arthur to serve seven years hard labour. It was exciting to be able to use details from his story to make A Penny to Remember more personal.
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Behind the Books
Category: Young Adult Historical Fiction
Age range: 13-17
On Tiney Flynn’s seventeenth birthday, every church bell tolled, as if heralding a new year, a new era. Tiney stood in the garden, purple jacaranda petals fluttering down around her. One by one, her sisters came outside to join her; first Nette, then Minna and lastly Thea. It was 11 November, 1918, Armistice Day.
For Tiney and her sisters everything is about to change, but not in the way they might have imagined. Building peace is complicated; so is growing up. From tragedy to undreamt-of joy, from weddings to séances, from masked balls to riots in the streets, Tiney’s world will be transformed.
At the end of the war and the dawn of the Jazz Age, Tiney must face her greatest fears and begin a journey that will change her destiny,
See Teachers Notes