UWA Publishing has acquired world rights to Julianne Negri’s YA verse novel Hunting Bears through Danielle Binks (Jacinta di Mase management).
UWA Publishing has acquired world rights to Julianne Negri’s young adult verse novel Hunting Bears via a deal with Danielle Binks of Jacinta di Mase management for 2025 publication.
Hunting Bears is a heart-wrenching verse novel for young adult readers that tackles the tough reality of suicide amongst teenagers. Inspired by Julianne Negri’s personal loss of her friend Joanne when she was younger, this verse novel uses the familiar children’s story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury to tell the story of ‘Dog’ who returns to school six months after her best friend ‘Bear’ commits suicide. Unflinching, emotional, and darkly funny at times, Hunting Bears is a collision of idyllic childhood memories, overwhelming grief, deep shame, escapism, friendship, love and teenage choices.
Julianne Negri, on the acquisition of Hunting Bears, says “Hunting Bears is a dear and personal story. I am heartened that this book has found the right home at UWAP, a publisher that nurtures strong and brave work.” Danielle Binks, who represents Julianne at Jacinta di Mase management says “Julianne's [novel] is an incredibly brave and important work that is a long time in the writing, and it was a case of right-place, right-time that Kate Pickard and UWAP could see that importance and potential.”
Julianne Negri’s debut children’s novel, The Secret Library of Hummingbird House, was published by Affirm Press in 2020. She has contributed to Aussie Stem Stars for Wild Dingo Press with Veena Sahajwalla: ‘Green’ engineer and recycling champion. Most recently she authored her first picture book with Evie Barrow illustrating; Almost a Fish for Little Book Press. Julianne has years of experience working in children and youth programming for libraries and has been variously a musician, eco-crafter, film maker, television host and has five children. Her verse novel Hunting Bears will be published by UWA Publishing in 2025.
Kate Pickard, publisher of UWA Publishing says “UWAP is proud to continue our commitment to young adult publishing in Australia with this unflinching and emotional verse novel. Hunting Bears tackles traumatic issues in a deeply personal and beautiful way and we are eager to share Julianne's work with the world.”
Hunting Bears will be published in the second half of 2025 and adds to UWA Publishing growing list of books for children and young adults.
For media enquiries please contact UWA Publishing’s Marketing Department.
EMAIL: marketing-uwap@uwa.edu.au
PHONE: (+ 61 8) 6488 3670
Download the media release here.