Cory Taylor facts for kids

Cory Taylor (born in 1955 – died on July 5, 2016) was a talented Australian writer. She wrote many different kinds of books, including popular stories for children and award-winning novels for adults.

About Cory Taylor

Early Life and First Books

Cory Taylor was born in Southport, Queensland, Australia. When she was a child, she lived in interesting places like Fiji and Kenya. These experiences might have given her lots of ideas for her stories!

Later, she studied history at the Australian National University. After finishing her studies, Cory worked as a writer for film and television. She even helped create a two-part TV film called Alterations for the ABC channel in 1988.

Her very first books were for young readers. She wrote the Rat Tales series and the Bandaged Bear series. These books were a fun way for her to start her writing journey.

Becoming a Novelist

In 2005, Cory Taylor faced a serious illness. This experience inspired her to start writing novels for adult readers. Her first novel, Me and Mr Booker, came out in 2011. It was a big success! In 2012, it won the Commonwealth Book Prize for the Pacific Region. This was a major award for her first novel.

Her next book, My Beautiful Enemy, was published in 2013. This novel was also recognized and was nominated for the Miles Franklin Award, which is one of Australia's most important literary prizes.

Her Last Book

As her health challenges continued, Cory Taylor wrote one more very special book. It was called Dying: A Memoir. A memoir is a true story about a part of someone's life. This book was published just before she passed away from cancer on July 5, 2016.

Dying: A Memoir was highly praised. It was shortlisted for the 2017 Stella Prize, another important Australian award for women writers. Even former US President Barack Obama included it on his list of best books in 2017!

Cory Taylor's books show her amazing talent for storytelling, whether she was writing for children or sharing her deepest thoughts in a memoir.

Books by Cory Taylor

• Rat Tales, illustrated by Stephen Michael King, Scholastic Australia, Sydney, 1999
  • Vol. 1, Rat's Lucky Day and Rat Goes Fishing
  • Vol. 2, Rat and the Rude Cap and Rat and the Big Stink
• Bandaged Bear and the Broken Bones, co-authored with Peter Townsend, Scholastic Australia, Sydney, 2001
• Bandaged Bear Saves His Breath, co-authored with Peter Townsend, Scholastic Australia, Sydney, 2001
• Bandaged Bear and the Birthday Party, co-authored with Peter Townsend, Scholastic Australia, Sydney, 2002
• Me and Mr Booker, Text Publishing, Melbourne, 2010
• My Beautiful Enemy, Text Publishing, Melbourne, 2013
• Dying: A Memoir, Text Publishing, Melbourne, 2016