Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina are a brother-sister team of Aboriginal writers who come from the Palyku people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They've worked together on a number of short novels and picture books. Catching Teller Crow is their first joint young adult novel. They believe in the power of storytelling to create a more just world.
'Distinctly Australian...A highly anticipated novel, Catching
Teller Crow can be compared to Alice Sebold's The Lovely
Bones and E Lockhart's We Were Liars. This book will
have a broad readership.' Karen Wyld, Books + Publishing,
5 STARS
'Combining taut, intricate thriller with ancient Indigenous tales
and the darker side of Australian history, this is a deeply
poignant and original novel.' The Guardian, UK
'An #ownvoices story that empowers its female heroines, giving them
pride in their lineage and power in remembering.' STARRED
REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews, US
'Superbly crafted.' The White Ravens list, International Youth
Library Foundation, Germany
'This enthralling tale swirls between life and death and the real
and what is beyond as it explores innocence betrayed and those who
are stuck... If you are into stories about crime, the paranormal or
death, grief and recovery, then Catching Teller Crow is for you.'
Kids' Book Review
'Catching Teller Crow is a beautifully rendered novel that explores
some of the most difficult aspects of Australia's history through
the eyes of three compelling and resilient Aboriginal women. It
deftly navigates themes of grief, loss and violence, with an
ultimately hopeful testament to the bonds of family and the power
of storytelling.' Judges' Report, Victorian Premier's Literary
Awards 2019
'Catching Teller Crow is a tour de force.' Good Reading
'[A] fascinating, gripping, innovative work told in two alternating
voices, one in prose, one in free verse, melding a crime thriller
with a triumphant and uplifting ghost story...The novel is also, in
many ways, a celebration of story, of the power of words...'
Magpies
'A fusion of ghost story and crime thriller, it also combines
poetry and fiction to striking and exciting effect...Dorothy
Porter's crime verse novel The Monkey's Mask is an interesting
point of comparison...' The Saturday Paper
'Catching Teller Crow is an up-to-the-minute tale that goes
straight to the heart of Australia's darkest history. Through
poetry and story, with great sensitivity, the Kwaymullinas pick up
and deal with subjects most authors in this country find too hot to
touch. Terrible crimes lie at the centre here; viewed through the
eyes of young women of unquenchable spirit, they can be approached,
examined, and ultimately solved. This novel will turn gazes in the
right direction, and make the caw of every crow more resonant.'
MARGO LANAGAN
'A ghost story as well as a psychological thriller, Catching Teller
Crow seamlessly weaves together the poetic and the everyday. A
magnificent and life-giving novel.' JUSTINE LARBALESTIER
'A touching and original story about a dad who is learning how to
grieve and a girl learning how to be dead. Together they work to
solve the crimes denting holes in a small town. A richly informed
novel by a deadly duo.' ELLEN VAN NEERVEN
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