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Jessica Townsend lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Her pet fascinations include public transport, ancient cities, hotels, opera singers, Halloween, secret societies and gigantic cats - all of which have weaselled their way into Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow, her award-winning first novel released in 2017. Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow, the second book in this record-breaking series, will be released in 2018. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow was the biggest-selling Australian children's debut since records began. It has won the 2018 ABIA for Book of the Year, Book of the Year for Younger Readers and Matt Richell Award for New Writer of the Year; the 2018 Indie Book Awards Book of the Year and Children's Category; the 2017 Aurealis Award for Best Children's Fiction; the 2018 Waterstones Children's Book Prize for Younger Fiction and was named a CBCA notable book.
Enter the world of Nevermoor and its fantastical inhabitants, and be utterly enchanted. - Courier-Mail There is more extraordinary world-building, as well as tough ethical decisions, in Wundersmith, Jessica Townsend's superlative follow-up to the unmissable Nevermoor. - The Guardian Townsend's sophomore endeavor once again fully immerses her readers in a world that intermixes the magic of the Emerald City with Howl's pithiness, Percy Jackson's humor, Coraline's darkness, and perhaps a dash of the depravity of Katniss' District One. Fantasy fans will not be disappointed. Savvy readers will appreciate how the themes of otherness, group privilege, prejudice, and activism are masterfully interwoven into the overall plot. The only sad spot in an otherwise enjoyable text is the hanging question: How long until Book 3 comes out? A worthy title that deserves a spot on the fantasy shelves. - Kirkus
