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Alice Pung Alice Pung i(A98119 works by)
Born: Established: 1981 Melbourne, Victoria, ;
Gender: Female
Heritage: Cambodian ; Chinese
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BiographyHistory

Writer and lawyer Alice Pung was born in Footscray, Victoria, and grew up in Braybrook, attending local primary and secondary schools in the Western suburbs of Melbourne. Her parents are Teochew Chinese from Cambodia, who sought refuge in Australia in 1980 after fleeing the Khmer Rouge.

Pung was educated in a number of Melbourne schools, including what was then Christ the King College (now Christ the King Primary school and Caroline Chisholm Catholic College), a Catholic girls' school. A qualified lawyer, she still undertakes work as a legal researcher in the areas of minimum wages and pay equity.

Pung worked extensively with both primary and secondary school students,  as an art instructor, independent school teacher, and student mentor. she has been Writer in Residence and pastoral care adviser at Janet Clarke Hall, the University of Melbourne. In the wake of her young-adult novel Laurinda, she compiled and edited a collection of short stories by Australian secondary-school students influenced the themes of the novel, in My First Lesson.

Pung's work has been widely taught in Australian universites, particularly the memoir Unpolished Gem and the edited collected Growing Up Asian in Australia. Among her awards are the Ethel Turner Prize (NSW Premier's Literary Awards), the Western Australian Premier's Award (non-fiction), and the ABIA Award for Newcomer of the Year. She has also been shortlisted for awards such as the Colin Roderick Award, the 'Nib', the Age Book of the Year Award, the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-fiction (NSW Premier's Literary Awards), and the Barbara Jefferis Award. Laurinda was longlisted for the Stella Prize, which has never yet been won by a young-adult novel.

In addition to work individually indexed on AustLit, her work has also appeared widely in Australian periodicals, including Meanjin.

Exhibitions

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Most Referenced Works

Awards for Works

y separately published work icon Millie Mak the Maker Sydney : HarperCollins Australia , 2023 26806255 2023 single work children's fiction children's

'An inspiring series for young and old makers by the award-winning author-illustrator team Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng.

'Nine-year-old Millie Mak has discovered she has a superpower!

'Using everyday objects, Millie turns them into something new, beautiful and useful. Who would ever think that a sunhat could be made from an old bedsheet, a skirt from a tea-towel, or some hair scrunchies from a scarf?

'Through her creativity and clever thinking, Millie also deals with different friendships, tricky family challenges, and contributes to the school fete.

'You can make the special objects Millie creates from the detailed and yet easy-to-follow instructions included in the book. And best of all, nothing needs to be bought!

'From award-winning author-illustrator team, Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng, comes the first book in an inspiring new series for young and old makers.' (Publication summary)

2024 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards Children's Fiction
2024 longlisted APA Book Design Awards Best Designed Children's/Young Adult Cover designed by Hazel Lam.
2024 longlisted Indie Awards Children's
y separately published work icon Be Careful, Xiao Xin! Sydney South : Working Title Press , 2022 24386047 2022 single work picture book children's

'Xiao Xin believes he is a red fire warrior but his family are always telling him to be careful. They believe the world is a dangerous place. Too dangerous for a little boy on his own.

'They don't understand what I can do!

'They don't understand what I can be!

'Renowned storytellers Alice Pung and Sher Rill Ng bring to life a beautiful and tender story about learning to conquer your own fears - as a child, and as an adult.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

2024 winner Ena Noël Award Illustrator
2024 shortlisted The DANZ Children's Book Award Picture Books
2023 shortlisted Educational Publishing Awards Australia Primary Educational Picture Book
2023 shortlisted Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year Awards Three to 5 Years
2023 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Children's Picture Book of the Year
2023 shortlisted APA Book Design Awards Best Designed Children's Illustrated Book designed by Sher Rill Ng.
2023 CBCA Book of the Year Awards Notable Book Picture Book
y separately published work icon When Granny Came To Stay Sydney : Pan Macmillan Australia , 2022 23667583 2022 single work children's fiction children's

'OUR STORIES is a funny, relatable and engaging new early-chapter book series that celebrates Australia's multicultural society with authors and illustrators from a diverse range of backgrounds. Everything changes when Granny comes to stay. She doesn't drive, she cooks strange foods, and she thinks Destroyer Discs are just toys! But when Granny finally leaves, will things go back to the way they were?' (Publication summary)

2024 shortlisted The DANZ Children's Book Award Chapter Books
2023 shortlisted New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards Multicultural NSW Award
Last amended 2 Jul 2018 15:08:12
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