UWA Publishing has acquired world rights to Pip Smiths’s YA novel The Pull of the Moon.
Pip Smith photographed by Lucy Parakhina
UWA Publishing has acquired world rights to Pip Smith’s young adult novel The Pull of the Moon for 2025 publication.
Inspired by The Janga/SIEV 221 tragedy in December 2010, The Pull of the Moon follows Coralie, a thirteen-year-old girl who lives on Christmas Island, as she witnesses a refugee boat crashing into the cliffs of Christmas Island. On board is Ali, an 11 year old Iranian refugee, who Coralie searches to find after the crash. Told through multiple points of view, Smith’s novel interrogates what happens to children who experience trauma and are given no means to connect with those for whom they grieve. The Pull of the Moon is a heartfelt novel for young adult readers and a fantastic addition to UWA Publishing’s growing list of books for children and young adults.
Pip Smith, on the acquisition of The Pull of the Moon, says “I am thrilled that The Pull of the Moon has found a home with UWA Publishing. This is a Western Australian story, and UWAP are at the pinnacle of Western Australian publishing. I’ve been so impressed with the recent YA titles UWAP have been publishing – they’re not afraid to be bold and think outside the box, qualities I dearly admire in publishers across the board. I can’t wait to work with them to bring this story to young readers, and older readers young at heart.”
Pip Smith was named an SMH Best Young Novelist of 2018 for her debut novel, Half Wild, which was shortlisted for the Voss Literary award, the Davitt Award, and longlisted for an ABIA Best Debut Fiction award. Her poetry collection, Too Close for Comfort, won the inaugural Helen Ann Bell award, and her first children’s picture book, Theodore the Unsure, was selected by the International Youth Library Foundation as a White Raven book of 2020. Her picture book, To Greenland! was published through Scholastic in April 2022. She teaches novel-writing for the Faber Writing Academy, where she also works as manager. Her young adult novel The Pull of the Moon will be published by UWA Publishing in 2025.
Kate Pickard, publisher of UWA Publishing says “We're thrilled to welcome Pip to the UWA Publishing stable of authors. The Pull of the Moon is a moving YA novel set on WA's furthermost island, Christmas Island. I see it as one of our missions to publish books set in remote locations which explore the diverse landscape and people of Western Australia.”
The Pull of the Moon was acquired through UWA Publishing’s general submissions and will be published mid-2025.
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.