Because of You shortlisted for VPLAs!

In a lovely early Christmas gift, Because of You has been shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards (VPLAs) along with two other fab #LoveOzYA books. 

The Judges said these lovely things about my book:

"Author Pip Harry gives readers characters with depth and complexity, ensuring Because of You is not a book about issues, but a book about friendship.

Because of You does include serious issues – homelessness, teenage pregnancy, mental health, and alcohol and drug addiction. It offers the world a taste of stories that aren’t often heard but absolutely need to be. Youth homelessness is a national crisis, with the latest research revealing that 44,000 young people in Australia do not have a safe place to sleep.

The magic of Because of You lies in how Pip Harry uses these themes not as didactic plot points, but to inform an authentic, contemporary setting to Tiny and Nola’s respective struggles to find their own place in the world. The struggles and joys of this quest to belong will resonate with audiences of all ages.

The cast of secondary characters is diverse and delightful, and Pip Harry seduces readers with sharp insights and poetic phrases. Teen readers will be particularly enchanted with the power given to words and stories within this narrative. Stories have value, and the respect and compassion for being young, for making mistakes, for being human, that Pip Harry shares in Because of You is affirming and powerful."

Here's the very short shortlist: 

Writing for Young Adults

• Living on Hope Street by Demet Divaroren (Allen & Unwin)
• Ida by Alison Evans (Echo)
• Because of You by Pip Harry (UQP)

Vote for me in the People's Choice Award here! 

Melbourne Writers Fest launch for Because of You

Melbournites! YA lovers! Book people! I'm officially launching my new YA novel, Because of You, at the wonderful Melbourne Writers Festival. This is a big bucket list item for me as the very first literary festival I ever attended was the MWF and Melbourne is my hometown. Yay! It's a free public event so please come and say hello if you can.  

Official blurby thing here:

Join award-winning YA author Pip Harry as she launches her latest novel, Because of You. Inspired by her experiences volunteering at a homeless shelter writing group, the book examines human resilience, mental health and life-changing friendship. Harry appears in conversation with Nikki McWatters.

When: 11.30am, Saturday 2 September
Where: Beer DeLuxe, Fed Square

5 Stars From B+P!

Fizzing with excitement over Books + Publishing's recent 5-star review of Because of You.

If you missed it, here it is:

Tiny is homeless. Nola has everything she could ask for. They meet when Nola is forced into volunteer work for the writers’ group at the homeless shelter where Tiny is staying, and at first it seems impossible that two people who are so different could ever be friends. But despite her initial prejudice, Nola quickly learns that there isn’t much separating her from the people who live on the streets. And Tiny begins to see that falling down doesn’t mean you never get back up. Because of You is a story about homelessness, prejudice and the power of words to provide a little hope. At its heart is the friendship between Tiny and Nola, and how this relationship changes both girls at the core. Pip Harry doesn’t shy away from some heavy topics—Tiny’s story is heartbreaking and the details about life on the streets of Sydney is horrifying—but Because of You is ultimately a hopeful story about human resilience and the life-changing power of discovering your best friend. YA readers aged 14 and up who loved John Larkin’s The Shadow Girl and Cath Crowley’s Words in Deep Blue should be diving for this powerful coming-of-age story.

Meg Whelan is the children’s book buyer at the Hill of Content Bookshop