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Shirley Marr

Official Website of Shirley Marr, Award Winning Author of Young Adult and Children's Fiction

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ALL FOUR QUARTERS OF THE MOON

has been awarded a Notable for Younger Readers in the lead up to the CBCA Book of the Year 2023. Thank you so much to the Council and judges, what an absolutely wonderful longlist!

A GLASSHOUSE OF STARS

is the winner of the CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers 2022! Congratulations to all the other winners and Honour books across all the categories and thank you so much to the CBCA and esteemed judges. What an absolute honour. It is also the Winner of The WA Premier’s Book Awards – Writing for Children 2021 and shortlisted for both the Queensland Literary Awards 2022 – Children’s Book Award and the Readings Children’s Fiction Prize 2022!

All Four Quarters of the Moon

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A Glasshouse of Stars

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Little Jiang

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Preloved

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Praise for A Glasshouse of Stars

Heart-twisting and hopeful, bursting with big feelings and gentle magic. This is a special book from a powerful, compassionate new voice in children’s literature.

JESSICA TOWNSEND, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE NEVERMOOR SERIES

Poignant and beautifully told. I loved this book

MELINA MARCHETTA, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF LOOKING FOR ALIBRANDI

A Glasshouse of Stars is a rare and beautiful masterpiece; deeply heartfelt, dreamily magical, and glitteringly hopeful. I adored it!

SOPHIE ANDERSON, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE HOUSE WITH CHICKEN LEGS

Author Portrait of Shirley Marr

About the Author

Shirley Marr is an award winning children's author and a first generation Chinese-Australian living in sunny Perth. A Glasshouse of Stars, based on her experiences of being a child migrant was the Children Book Council of Australia's (CBCA) Book of the Year for Younger Readers in 2022. Shirley's latest title is All Four Quarters of the Moon and is a celebration of sisterhood and Chinese culture. Her earlier titles are Fury, Preloved and Little … Read More about About the Author

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I can finally officially reveal that I am working I can finally officially reveal that I am working on a picture book with the extremely talented Michael Speechley! We would both do it purely for the love, but thank you to the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries for awarding us with an Arts U-15K grant and for the generous support of the Literature Centre, Norman Jorgensen, Jan Nicholls, Kris Williams, Gemma Cooper and Lisa Riley from Penguin Random House Australia. This is something that started almost a year ago on a Wednesday, in a cafe and we are still as passionate about it right now, today. More to come soon! 🌟

@speechley_art_australia @deptlgsc @theliteraturecentre @normanjorgensen @nicholls_jan @kriswillo @gemmacoopster @lisarileylisariley
The glamorous life 😝 The glamorous life 😝
In The West Australian today with these ridiculous In The West Australian today with these ridiculously good looking and talented kidlit authors promoting literacy and reading for fun with the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Keep at it kids, Marky Mark has some great prizes in his bag! 
@thewestaustralian @premiersreadingchallengewa
All Four Quarters of the Moon is a Children Book C All Four Quarters of the Moon is a Children Book Committee of Bank Street Best Children’s Book of 2023 in the US! Thank you so much to the CBC, I am very honoured and grateful that my little book was selected. Check out the link to the full and awesome list in my bio! #NewYorkNewYork #AllFourQuartersOfTheMoon
Me: @hm_waugh, I’m going to post this on the 12t Me: @hm_waugh, I’m going to post this on the 12th anniversary of the photo! HM: ummm you know that date has already passed don’t you? Better late than never! Just wanted to say that I’m so glad to still know you ladies! Don’t we still look the same? Thanks HM for taking the photo!

@cristyburne @debfitzpatrick9 #StillTheSame
I’m so proud to show everyone the Chinese versio I’m so proud to show everyone the Chinese version of A Glasshouse of Stars! I’m ecstatic that my book is now published in Australia, US, UK and now in China but most of all, I’m so happy that after 12 years of writing professionally, I can give one of my books to my Chinese mother who can’t read English and she can finally see my story, that means the most to me 💛💜

How beautiful are the colour illustrations? If you know the book, I think you will agree they visualize my story perfectly 💛💛💜💜🌟🌟

#aglasshouseofstars #shirleymarr
I am so proud to announce my new middle grade book I am so proud to announce my new middle grade book coming out January next year called The Yesterday Machine! 

In my own words ❤️

“I wrote this book for my nine-year-old son and all the children like him who have had to go through the difficult process of their parents splitting up. It's a love letter to him that is sometimes emotional, sometimes funny, but hopefully full of optimism for the present and the future. Being able to convey my own experiences and feelings is the reason why I write and I hope this gives my readers a chance to look through the window and come inside the sliding door of James’ Yesterday Machine." 

It’s got a boy narrator, it’s got sci-fi, David Bowie and a Time Machine and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever written before! Out with Usborne Books in the UK, Simon & Schuster in the US and Penguin Random House here at home. Come and join me and James on an adventure though time and space very soon! 

The current pressing question though is … do I score a 5 out of 5 Gemmas on my agent’s Coopometer @mollykh_tba ??? 🤩 (swipe to see) @gemmacoopster

#shirleymarr #theyesterdaymachine
My author copies of the UK All Four Quarters of th My author copies of the UK All Four Quarters of the Moon have arrived! Thank you @usborne_books, @gemmacoopster, @sophieandersonauthor, @maisiechanwrites, @digressica and to the talented @sianjart for the beautiful cover 💛💛💛

#allfourquartersofthemoon #shirleymarr
20th Anniversary of A Night With Our Stars 🌟 wh 20th Anniversary of A Night With Our Stars 🌟 where I won a silent auction illustration, broke my favourite shoes, ran off with the name badge (I will return it @nicholls_jan!) and caught up with lots of gorgeous faces including the wonderful @rachaelrobertson.creates ❤️❤️ Congratulations @cbca_wa, Jenni, Joanna & Jan and may we have another 20 more. Look there’s a photo of me in the retrospective when I am a literal baby presenting in 2011! 👶 Also my phone took a photo of random legs. If they are yours, please come and claim your mystery prize.

 

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