Month: February 2023

We Who Hunt The Hollow has popped up on the Notables list for the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book of the Year award for older readers! The Notables are the longlisting for the awards, which are announced later in the year. We Who Hunt The Hollow is in some great company with many wonderful books I’ve enjoyed reading in the last year. Congratulations to all the longlisted authors, and thank you to the CBCA!

Established with the first awards in 1946, the annual CBCA Book of the Year Awards aim to:

• promote quality literature for young Australians;
• support and encourage a wide range of Australian writers and illustrators of children’s books and;
• celebrate contributions to Australian children’s literature.

For the full list of Notables across all categories, please see the CBCA website

We Who Hunt The Hollow has won the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Young Adults! I’m blown away. It is a huge honour, and I’m so very grateful.

The Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards were inaugurated by the Victorian Government in 1985 to honour literary achievement by Australian writers. The awards are administered by the Wheeler Centre on behalf of the Premier of Victoria.

A big congrats to all the authors, and a big thank you to the Premier, the Wheeler Centre, Creative Victoria, Melbourne City of Literature, and the judges.

The judges wrote:

This is a big-hearted portrayal of a fantastical future-Melbourne where monsters from another universe pour in through cracks in our world. Priscilla comes from a powerful matriarchal family, destined to protect the world from the Hollow, though her own power may put those she loves in danger. Murray deftly weaves in real-life teen concerns while crafting an expansive world that is wholly believable and thrilling. At the heart of this story is a diverse and complex family driven by loyalty and love, set against the backdrop of a struggle for power as the old monster hunters are challenged by rebellion.

The full list of winners, shortlisted and highly commended works can be found here.

Read more:

Watch the award ceremony hosted by The Wheeler Centre (including my speech!)

Creative Victoria article about the 2023 awards

ABC article about the 2023 awards