2025 ARA Historical Novel Prize –Children & Young Adult Longlist

The eight talented authors, and their outstanding novels, selected in the Longlist for the 2025 ARA Historical Novel Prize –Children & Young Adult Category are:

Moonboy by Anna Ciddor (Allen & Unwin)

On Gallant Wings by Helen Edwards (Riveted Press)

The Year We Escaped by Suzanne Leal (HarperCollins Publishers)

Our History: Bold Ben Hall by Sophie Masson (Walker Books)

Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars by Catherine Norton (HarperCollins Publishers)

The Midwatch by Judith Rossell (Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing)

R.I.P Nanny Tobbins by Lucie Stevens (HarperCollins Publishers)

Desert Tracks by Marly & Linda Wells (Magabala Books)

The judging panel for the CYA Category includes Dr Mark Macleod (Chair), Rebecca Lim and Belinda Murrell.

According to Chair, Dr Mark Macleod:

For the Children’s and Young Adults’ category, announcing the longlist is an exciting but also painful stage in the judging process. The judges, Rebecca Lim, Mark Macleod and Belinda Murrell, were delighted to have so many young adult books to choose from, but would have liked more options for younger and middle school readers too.

It was of course important that the history be impeccably researched, and that it tell a compelling story, but we were also eager to have the longlist reflect the cultural diversity of the Australian community. That said, without blocking anyone’s right to use their imagination, we wanted the story to feel that it was the author’s to tell, or to be authentic, and it was disappointing to have to decide against including books where borrowing a story from another cultural group meant getting it wrong.