Rachael Craw facts for kids

Rachael Craw is a writer from New Zealand. She writes exciting books that mix fantasy, romance, and science fiction for young adults. She used to be an English and Drama teacher. Today, she lives in Nelson with her husband and three children.

Rachael's Story

Rachael grew up in Christchurch, New Zealand. She studied Classical Studies and Drama at the University of Canterbury. After that, she became a teacher and taught English for several years.

After the big earthquakes in Christchurch in 2010 and 2011, Rachael and her family moved to Nelson.

Becoming a Writer

Rachael says she loved words from a very young age. She remembers being super excited to get her first diary with a lock! She has kept journals for many years. This love for words naturally led her to poetry and writing scripts. She really enjoys creating good conversations in her books.

Before she started writing her famous Spark trilogy, Rachael was involved in theatre. She acted, directed, and wrote for plays and small independent films.

How Her Books Began

The idea for her first book, Spark, came from a dream she had. It took her five years to write this book. She had help from mentors Barbara Else and Chris Else. After Spark, she had to write the next two books in the series, Stray and Sparkfall, much faster – one book each year!

Connecting with Readers

Rachael has been to many book festivals. She loves meeting her readers and talking about books. She is also active on social media. Her fans even started a special group called the #SparkArm campaign! This group is made up of teen readers who love her books.

Many people compare her books to the super popular series The Hunger Games. Rachael also has her own favorite authors. Some of them are Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Knox, Kate Atkinson, and Maggie Stiefvater.

Awards and Prizes

Rachael Craw's first book, Spark, won several awards and honors. It was named a Storylines Notable Book for Young Adult Fiction in 2015. It was also a finalist for the New Zealand Book Awards Children's Choice in 2015. There are even plans to make Spark into a movie!

Her second book, Stray, won a big award in 2016. It received the Children's Choice Award in the Young Adult Fiction Category at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children & Young Adults.