Wendy Orr Wendy Orr i(A18347 works by) (a.k.a. Wendy Ann Orr)
Also writes as: Sally George
Born: Established: 1953 Edmonton, Alberta,
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Canada,
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Americas,
;
Gender: Female
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BiographyHistory

Wendy Orr was born in Canada and, because of her father's career in the Canadian Air Force, grew up in France, Canada and the United States. After high school, she studied occupational therapy in London. While on holiday she met and later married a holidaying Australian farmer. Orr emigrated to Australia after completing her studies.

While her husband worked on his dairy farm, Orr worked as an occupational therapist and began writing children's stories. Her first picture-book, Amanda's Dinosaur, was published in 1988. She has since written more than two dozen books for children, young adults and adults. After a serious car accident in 1991, Orr began writing full-time and consolidated her reputation with several awards and commendations during the 1990s. Her books have been translated into several languages, most notably the prize-winning young adult novel Peeling the Onion (1996) which has been translated into multiple European languages.

Orr's Nim duology (Nim's Island and Nim at Sea) were both adapted for film, the first with Abigail Breslin and the second with Bindi Irwin. Her most recent book, Dragonfly Song, written partly in free verse, won both the Prime Minister's Award for Fiction and the Adelaide Festival Award for Literature, and was a notable book for the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards.

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • Orr has also written readers in the Supa doopers series.

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Cuckoo’s Flight Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2021 20456546 2021 single work children's fiction children's historical fiction

'When Clio’s town in Bronze Age Crete is threatened by seafaring raiders, she faces the greatest sacrifice of all. Can Clio, her herd of horses and a new young friend find a way to change their destinies?

'When a raiders’ ship appears off the coast, the goddess demands a higher price than ever before to save the town – and Clio’s grandmother creates a sacred statue to save Clio’s life.

'But Clio is torn between the demands of guarding the statue and caring for her beloved horses. Disabled in an accident, she must try to put aside her own grief at no longer being able to ride – and in the process, save a friend’s life and stop a war.

'Rippling with emotion and drama, war and resistance, fear and determination, this novel is a brilliant companion to the highly acclaimed Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance, and another thrilling adventure and survival story from the multi-award-winning author of Nim’s Island, Wendy Orr.' (Publication summary)

2022 winner Book Links Award for Historical Fiction
2022 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Younger Readers
y separately published work icon Swallow's Dance Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2018 13658603 2018 single work children's fiction children's

'I wonder if the first day of Learning is always like this - do the girls on the hill always feel the ground tremble under their feet?

'Leira is about to start her initiation as a priestess when her world is turned upside down. A violent earthquake leaves her home - and her family - in pieces. And the goddess hasn't finished with the island yet.

'With her family, Leira flees across the sea to Crete, expecting sanctuary. But a volcanic eruption throws the entire world into darkness. After the resulting tsunami, society descends into chaos; the status and privilege of being noble-born reduced to nothing. With her injured mother and elderly nurse, Leira has only the strength and resourcefulness within herself to find safety.

'A thrilling Bronze Age survival story from the acclaimed author of Dragonfly Song.' (Source: Publisher's blurb)

2019 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Younger Readers
y separately published work icon Dragonfly Song Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2016 9510660 2016 single work children's fiction children's

'Abandoned by the priestess of the island at birth, Aissa is an outcast, surviving by her wits - until she joins the acrobatic bull dancers who are sent away to compete on the island of the Bull King. A gripping and powerful adventure by acclaimed author Wendy Orr.

'There are two ways of looking at Aissa's story. She's the miracle girl who escaped the raiders. Or she's the cursed child who called the Bull King's ship to the island.

'The firstborn daughter of a priestess is cast out as a baby, and after raiders kill her adopted family, she is abandoned at the gates of the Great Hall, anonymous and mute. Called No-Name, the cursed child, she is raised a slave, and not until she is twelve does she learn her name is Aissa: the dragonfly.

'Now every year the Bull King takes a tribute from the island: two thirteen-year-old children to brave the bloody bull dances in his royal court. None have ever returned - but for Aissa it is the only escape.

'Aissa is resilient, resourceful, and fast - but to survive the bull ring, she will have to learn the mystery of her true nature.

'A riveting, mythic Bronze Age adventure from award-winning author Wendy Orr.' (Publication summary)

2018 winner Festival Awards for Literature (SA) Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature South Australian Literary Awards Children's Literature Award
2020 shortlisted REAL Awards Fiction for Years 7-9
2017 finalist Crystal Kite Award Australian and New Zealand Division
2018 finalist Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards Canadian Children’s Literature Award
2017 joint winner Prime Minister's Literary Awards Children's Fiction
2017 shortlisted Queensland Literary Awards Griffith University Children’s Book Award
2017 Honour book CBCA Book of the Year Awards Book of the Year: Younger Readers
2017 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Younger Readers
2017 shortlisted West Australian Young Readers' Book Award Younger Readers
Last amended 5 Jun 2019 11:59:19
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