Barry Jonsberg Barry Jonsberg i(A81944 works by) (a.k.a. Peter Jonsberg)
Born: Established: Liverpool, Merseyside,
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England,
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United Kingdom (UK),
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Western Europe, Europe,
;
Gender: Male
Arrived in Australia: 1999
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BiographyHistory

Barry Jonsberg went to school and university in his native England, gaining two degrees in English (B.A. Hons and Master of Philosophy) from Liverpool University. He lectured in English at college level in England and continued teaching in high schools after moving to Australia.

Jonsberg began writing in 2001, after his arrival in Australia. He changed from full-time teaching to relief teaching in 2004 in order to devote more time to his writing. He lives in Darwin.

Most Referenced Works

Personal Awards

2022 recipient Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships Individuals and groups ($50,000)
2019 recipient Australia Council Grants, Awards and Fellowships

Literature Arts Projects For Individuals and Groups $50,000.00

2011 Australia Council Literature Board Grants Grants for Established Writers $50,000 for young adult literature writing.

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Smoke and Mirrors Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2024 27126718 2024 single work children's fiction children's

'Grace McKellon isn't a 'people person'. All she needs is her magic tricks and her wise-cracking grandmother - until a new friend comes along and promises to make her a social media star. A wonderful and intriguing middle fiction novel from an internationally acclaimed, bestselling Australian author.

'I don't know about love. I suspect the emotion that others apparently feel all the time is just . . . absent from me. Like there's an ingredient missing from the recipe. The possible exception is Gran.

'Grace cares about only two things: performing magic and her cantankerous gran. Gran shares her prickly personality and spiky sense of humour, and she's the only one Grace lets into her tightly locked heart – until she meets Simon, an older student who promises to help her turn her magic tricks into a small business and social media stardom.

'When Gran is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Grace moves in to become her primary carer. With the help of Simon and some sleight of hand, Grace is determined to bring joy back into their lives. And when she confronts her worst fear, she realises maybe her heart doesn't need to stay locked away after all.' (Publication summary)

2024 shortlisted Queensland Literary Awards Griffith University Young Adult Book Award
y separately published work icon A Little Spark Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2022 24503947 2022 single work children's fiction children's

'From the bestselling multi-award-winning author of My Life as an Alphabet and A Song Only I Can Hear comes another wonderful middle fiction novel that is warm, upbeat, intriguing and wholly absorbing.

'I don't tell Mum and Sam anything about my weekends with Dad. It would be giving them tickets into that world. The world Dad and I have created. And I don't want to do that. It's ours. It's all we have. It's all we've been allowed since my parents got divorced.

'Cate gets to spend every second weekend with her dad, and each time something special and surprising happens. Something that fires the creative spark that Cate channels into her writing.

'And everything is fine until Cate's stepdad, Sam, gets offered his dream job in London and her mum decides they are going to move to England with him?…'

'Cate must decide what she wants for herself. She loves both her parents - but she must choose between them.

'A warm and funny novel full of unexpected twists and turns, joy and heartbreak.' (Publication summary)

2024 honour book YABBA Fiction Years 7-9
2024 shortlisted Territory Read Book of the Year Chief Minister's NT Book Awards Young Adult / Children
2024 shortlisted REAL Awards Fiction for Years 7-9
2023 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature
2023 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Older Readers
2023 longlisted Indie Awards Young Adult
y separately published work icon Catch Me If I Fall Crows Nest : Allen and Unwin , 2020 19845869 2020 single work children's fiction children's

''We've been worried about Aiden too, Ash,' said Mum. 'He's always been such a ... predictable child. You're not the only one to have noticed the changes in his temperament.'

'Ash and Aiden Delatour are identical twins, living a privileged lifestyle with loving parents. In a world that has fallen apart at the seams, they want for nothing. All they have to do is be there for each other, no matter what.

'But after Aiden suffers a terrible injury, he isn't the same brother Ash always relied on. Something has changed, and it will lead to a discovery that will turn their whole world upside down.' (Publication summary)

2021 winner BILBY (Books I Love Best Yearly) Awards Older Readers
2021 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Older Readers
2021 shortlisted Indie Awards Young Adult
Last amended 14 May 2019 16:40:55
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