Sonya Hartnett facts for kids

Sonya Louise Hartnett (born 23 March 1968) is a famous Australian author. She writes exciting stories for adults, teenagers, and younger children. Many people call her one of the best Australian writers of her time. In 2008, Sonya won the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This is a huge international prize for children's and young adult literature. It's one of the biggest cash prizes in the world for authors who write for kids!

Sonya has published her books using a few different names. Sometimes you'll see them as Sonya Hartnett, S. L. Hartnett, or even Cameron S. Redfern.

About Sonya Hartnett

Sonya Hartnett was born in Melbourne, Australia, on March 23, 1968. Her parents are Philip Joseph and Virginia Mary Hartnett. She went to the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and earned a degree in Arts in 1988.

Her Writing Journey

Sonya started writing at a very young age. She was only thirteen when she finished her first novel! By the time she was fifteen, this book, called Trouble All the Way, was published for adults in Australia. Since then, she has written about one new novel almost every year.

Even though many people think of her as a writer of "young adult fiction," Sonya doesn't completely agree with this label. She feels her books are not always like typical young adult novels. She believes this difference in how her books are seen is more important in Australia than in places like the UK.

One of Sonya's most well-known books is Sleeping Dogs. This book received a lot of attention and was talked about quite a bit. Many of Sonya's books have been published in other countries, like the UK and North America.

For her book Thursday's Child, Sonya won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 2002. This is a special award judged by other British children's writers. She was able to win it because Thursday's Child was her first book published in the UK. In 2008, she received the amazing Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which is managed by the Swedish Arts Council.

Awards and Recognitions

Sonya Hartnett has won many awards for her wonderful books. Here are some of her most important recognitions:

• In 1996, she won the Kathleen Mitchell Award for her book Sleeping Dogs.
• Her book Thursday's Child won the Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel in 2000.
• In 2002, Thursday's Child also won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.
• Of a Boy won The Age Book of the Year Award in 2003.
• In 2005, The Silver Donkey won the CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers.
• Her book The Ghost's Child won the CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers in 2008.
• In 2008, Sonya received the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This award celebrates authors whose work bravely explores the tougher parts of life.
• The Midnight Zoo won the CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Older Readers in 2011.
• The Children of the King won the CBCA Children's Book of the Year Award: Younger Readers in 2013.