Gary Crew crafts challenging and intriguing novels, short stories, and picture books for older children and young adults, frequently drawing inspiration from non-fiction. His work is characterized by its unique style and thought-provoking narratives, demonstrating a sophisticated approach to storytelling. As an Associate Professor in Creative Writing, Crew's academic expertise enriches his literary output with a profound understanding of narrative craft.
Facing isolation and ridicule, a teenage boy navigates the challenges of loneliness and bullying in his search for friendship and acceptance. As he grapples with his emotions and self-worth, the story explores themes of resilience and the quest for belonging in a world that often seems hostile.
Timing the Machine is the highly anticipated sequel to The Visions of Ichabod X.
In the Beech Forest ticks all the boxes for encouraging both male and female teenagers (aged about fifteen years) to read. While illustrated books for older readers usually appeal to young males, In the Beech Forest is illustrated by Den Scheer, a young woman in her teens. Ten to fifteen-year-old males would also relate to In the Beech Forest as its theme is a young man's perilous rite of passage in search of self. The youth involved is actually fearful of the monstrous creatures he faces in his computer games and must overcome this fear to become a man-a growth process which is admirably represented visually with all the irony that only a female teenage illustrator could create: not only does the boy triumph, he realises his triumph by imagining the battle between a monstrous male force and a diminutive female force which the female wins! In Real Boys Voices clinical psychologist William Pollack allows his young male clients to speak for themselves, quoting 17-year-old Tom regarding his rite of passage to manhood: ... people should realise what we go through, what we feel, what problems are important and how they can be fixed. (Pollack, W. 2000. Real Boys Voices. Scribe, Melbourne. p. 377). Every teenage boy could therefore relate to In The Beech Forest which uses both visual images and accessible print text to address these very feelings.
Summary: A boy fascinated by gadgets finds a strange old Viewmaster in the city dump that transfixes him with its fearsome, haunting sights.
In 2014 the world will mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. Internationally acclaimed author, Gary Crew, and multi-award-winning illustrator Shaun Tan have created a powerful picture book to help us all remember. When the soldiers return in 1918, a memorial tree is planted... 'Lest we forget'. But generations later, what do those who pause in the shadows of the tree's immense branches remember? A message we should never forget. Memorial serves as a reminder of the lessons to be gained from the past and examine the significance of conservation, respect and remembrance.
A new release of an Australian classic, this 1995 CBCA award-winning graphic picture book by Gary Crew and Steven Woolman is an atmospheric and thought- provoking exploration of rural life and the impact of technology.
Kimmy encounters two wild children who have grown up in the hills of Australia and tries to protect them from the unknown person who murdered their father.