Kate Gordon

Kate Gordon was raised by two librarian parents, in a small town by the sea in Tasmania. She spent her childhood searching for fossils at Fossil Bluff, wondering about the doctor who rode his horse off the cliff at Doctor's Rocks, and eating the best chips in the world at the fish and chip shop at the wharf. She also spent much of her time dreaming about being a writer, and spent many a lunch hour walking around the playground reciting poetry. The other children thought she was a little bit odd.

After studying performing arts and realising she was a terrible actor, Kate decided to give in to genetics and study to be a librarian herself. She never stopped writing and, in 2009, with the encouragement of a very nice man called Leigh (who is also her husband), she applied for and won a Varuna fellowship, which turned out to be the beginning of her writing career!

Kate's latest novels are:

Temora and the Wordsnatcher, Published by Wombat Books May 2023

Temora Murphy is eleven years old. She lives in a world where she never really fits. The other girls make fun of her. She's not the "right" sort of girl for anyone – least of all her mother. On the candles of her birthday cake, she wishes for escape. Like magic, in a black pearl box at the bottom of her garden, books begin to appear. The books help her to leave her world and find another where she belongs.

On her twelfth birthday, Temora makes another wish, a wish that alters her life forever. Temora Tempest is welcomed into a world within a book, where everyone else has been waiting for her. But when some of the other apprentices fall victim to a magical disease that could only be caused by one person – a monster thought long dead – Temora realises that there can be darkness in every story. And that it might be her job to save everyone.

Temora and the Wordsnatcher is a literary children's story; a portal fantasy work, featuring a diverse cast of characters and a protagonist who marches to the beat of her own drum.

Indigo in the Storm, Published by Yellow Brick Books March 2023

"We are the storm and the stillness."

Indigo Michael isn’t like other kids. And her mum isn’t like other mums. Life for people like them isn’t meant to have meaning—it’s just something to be survived in whatever way you can.

When her mum abandons her, Aster’s Aunt Noni becomes her foster parent. Suddenly Indigo has a new ‘family’—one she didn’t ask for and isn’t even sure she wants. Then she meets Liam. He graffitis revolutionary words across the world, words that make Indigo want to run towards something, build something, be something. For the first time in a long time, Indigo feels she has made a genuine friend, which makes it even harder when that friendship is betrayed …

This poignant companion novel to the CBCA Award winning Aster’s Good, Right Things explores the different shapes of friendship and family, and how a lonely girl learns what it means to truly belong.

Whalesong, Published by Riveted Press, September 2022.

"There is no now and no then, only in between and always.
Open the box. Come and see."

Aberdeen Knopwood wants to make a difference - to help save the planet and express the passion for the environment that burns underneath her skin. But how can a girl who is too scared to stand out actually do something meaningful? Aberdeen's family has been woven into the fabric of Hobart for generations. When her journalist father gifts her an antique chronometer, it leads her to another girl who also knows and loves Hobart. But the Hobart this girl knows is very different to the one Aberdeen grew up in - a newer Hobart, where the stone buildings aren't yet mellowed to soft golds, sea shanties echo from tall sailing ships, and men armed with harpoons hunt whales in the harbour.

This girl knows something that Aberdeen is yet to discover: one person really can make a difference.

The Calling of Jackdaw Hollow, Published April 2022 by University of Queensland Press.

A spirited tale of destiny, self-worth and accepting that if you love something, you must set it free.

When Jackdaw Hollow is orphaned by a lightning strike, he is taken in by the headmistress of Direleafe Hall. Even though he grows up with her love and care, he feels undeserving, as if the universe made a mistake in sparing him. As he searches for the reason he survived the storm, he befriends Angeline, a wildling girl who knows where her destiny lies – the circus. But when he goes too far in trying to find his own calling, he loses sight of what’s most important.

An evocative story about one odd boy searching for his place in the world, perfect for anyone who has ever wondered where their path might lead.

The Calling of Jackdaw Hollow is a further title in the Direleafe Hall collection and accompanies The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn (2020) and The Ballad of Melodie Rose (2021).

Xavier in the Meantime, Published February 2022 by Riveted Press.

Xavier in the Meantime is a companion novel to Aster’s Good, Right Things, winner of the CBCA Book of the Year 2021 for Younger Readers.
The focus shifts to Aster’s new best friend Xavier and his struggles with the “black dog.”
Xavier has a plan that he hopes will help the kids in his support group: he wants to turn the family hogget farm into a therapy retreat. But he’s up against decades of tradition, and the spectre of the black dog drawing closer all the time…

Amira's Magpie, published April 2021 by Wombat Books.

Amira has a magpie. He is the most beautiful, strangest of creatures ...
Amira imagines her magpie flying across the world, to visit the family she left behind when she escaped her homeland. And as she flies, she flies with him and she is free.

Amira's Magpie is a story of friendship, family and escape; of bravery and resilience in the face of hardship. It is the story of hope we find in small happinesses, even when it seems like all hope is lost.

The Ballad of Melodie Rose, published by University of Queensland Press, June 2021.

A heartfelt story of one girl’s determination to save her beloved home and the lyrical companion tale to The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn.

When Melodie Rose is abandoned on the doorstep of Direleafe Hall, she realises she must be a ghost. Strangely, she is not sad. With the three other ghostly girls who haunt the school and a gloomy crow on her shoulder, Melodie has never felt more at peace. Finally, she has a place to call home.
So when the Lady in White arrives with plans to flatten the beloved school, Melodie Rose must act fast to save all she holds dear. But what can one powerless ghost do?
The Ballad of Melodie Rose is a life-affirming tale of belonging, being brave and being seen.

Kate's earlier books include:
Aster's Good, Right Things, published by Yellow Brick Books November 2020.
Juno Jones, Book Sleuth, published by Yellow Brick Books October 2020, illustrated by Sandy Flett.
The Heartsong of Wonder Quinn, published by University of Queensland Press September 2020.
Juno Jones Mystery Writer published by Yellow Brick Books, released November 2019.
Juno Jones Word Ninja, published by Yellow Brick Books, April 2019.
Three Things About Daisy Blue, a Young Adult novel about travel, love, self-acceptance and letting go, was published in the Girlfriend series by Allen and Unwin in 2010.
Thyla, published in April 2011 and Vulpi, published in April 2012 by Random House Australia, are paranormal thrillers set in the Tasmanian bush.
Writing Clementine is a funny, warm, feel-good novel about friends, family, first kisses and finding your way in the world. Published July 2014 Allen & Unwin Publishers.
Girl Running, Boy Falling was published by Rhiza Edge in 2018.

Thyla was nominated for a 2012 REAL award, voted on by teenage readers.

Kate frequently conducts author talks, school visits and conference presentations around Tasmania. She writes teacher notes for several major Australian publishers. Kate is currently an ambassador for the National Year of Reading. She was the recipient of 2011 and 2012 Arts Tasmania Assistance to Individuals grants, which have enabled her to spend more time doing what she loves.

Kate blogs at www.kategordon.com.au/blog and you can find more about her and her books at www.kategordon.com.au.