I am thrilled and honored to have been chosen as the winner of the Percy Fitzpatrick Prize for Youth Literature, 2018, for the third book in the Eco-warriors series, Fault Lines!

My thanks to the English Academy for choosing my book, and to my publishers Protea Boekhuis and my wonderful editor, Danel Hanekom for helping me create the best book I could.

I loved writing this book and it deals with important themes and issues that are close to my heart, so it means a great deal to me to have the novel recognised by this prestigious bi-annual award.

Here's more about the book:

The eco-warriors are back! 

Samantha Steadman and her friends are now in Grade 10 at Clifford House boarding school but this year, cracks are beginning to appear in their friendships, romances and their belief in themselves. When Sam joins ecological activists to block fracking in the Karoo, she expects that her best friends will be right alongside her in the fight. But Nomusa takes a very different view of the controversial issue and Jessie, under the influence of a glamorous new girl at the school, is too obsessed with her weight and appearance to care about ecology.

Sam feels very alone as she tries to deal with pressure from boys, school and her Poison Dwarf of a science teacher, all while uncovering a personal mystery from the past and struggling to save the Karoo – as well as her friendships – from splitting down their fault lines.

Fault Lines is the winner of the 2018 Percy Fitzpatrick Award for Youth Literature and the MAHLA Award (Minara Aziz Hassim Literary Awards) in 2016.