Bright Star — Gary Crew

The year is 1871. Alicia is a farm girl, doomed to a life of needlework and milking cows -- but she is very bright at school, especially at maths and science. When she meets the famous Australian astronomer John Tebbutt, she realises that her future is as limitless as the stars. Author Biography: Queensland author Gary Crew has an outstanding reputation as a writer of young adult fiction and innovative picture books. His numerous prizes and awards include CBC Book of the Year: Older Readers for Strange Objects and Angel's Gate (1991 and 1994); CBC Picture Book of the Year shortlisting for Lucy's Bay (1993); CBC Picture Book of the Year for First Light (1994) and CBC Picture Book of the Year for The Watertower (1995). Gary was editor of the After Dark series and author of the picture books First Light, The Lost Diamonds of Killiecrankie, Bright Star, The Viewer, Troy Thompson's Excellent Peotry Book, Troy Thompson's Radical Prose Folio, Memorial and Leo the Lion Tamer. His previous Lothian YA Fiction titles are Mama's Babies and Dear Venny, Dear Saffron. About the Illustrator: Anne Spudvilas lives in Geelong, Victoria, where she works as a graphic designer, fine artist and book illustrator. Her illustrative work for The Race by Christopher Mattingley, won the 1997 Crichton Award for Book Illustration.