Being Magdalene

Fleur Beale is the author of numerous award-winning books for children and young adults. She has published over 40 books in New Zealand, with additional publications in the United States and England.

Beale is the only writer to have twice won the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book, receiving the award in 2007 for Slide the Corner and in 2009 for I Am Not Esther. In 2009, she was awarded the Esther Glen Award for distinguished contribution to children’s literature for Juno of Taris at the LIANZA Children’s Book Awards. Her book Fierce September won the YA category in the 2011 NZ Post Children’s Book Awards and the LIANZA Young Adult Award in 2011. In 2012, she received the Margaret Mahy Medal for her outstanding contribution to children’s writing, and in 2015, she was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. In 1999, Beale served as the Dunedin College of Education’s Writer in Residence. A former high-school teacher, Beale resides in Wellington.

One of Beale’s most recognized works is I Am Not Esther, which tells the story of a girl sent to live with relatives who belong to a strict religious cult. This gripping psychological thriller received an Honour Award in the 1999 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards and is featured in the publication 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. It was reissued in 2012 and has remained in print since its initial publication. Magpies described it as a novel relevant wherever there are attempts to control the minds and emotions of children.

The sequel, I Am Rebecca, was published in 2014 to significant acclaim. It was recognized as a 2015 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction book, was shortlisted for the Young Adult category of the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, and won the LIANZA Librarian’s Choice Award. A review in the Otago Daily Times by Rene Nol praised the novel, stating that “Good writing can reveal our prejudices as being the shallow things they are. Really good writing does that and entertains the reader at the same time.” The review further described I am Rebecca as a “tension-filled, thrilling read that affirms genuine belief while exposing hypocrisy.”

Being Magdalene, published in 2015, concluded the series. Tierney Reardon awarded the novel five out of five stars for Tearaway, calling it their “favourite book in the series; the ending seemed to tie things off so perfectly.” Ann Packer, in a review for the New Zealand Listener, noted the “remarkable success of I Am Not Esther and its sequels lies in Beale’s insightful ability to see shades between black and white…” and commended Beale’s ability to balance the exposure of hypocrisy with the depiction of compassion and wisdom in other adult characters. Being Magdalene received a Storylines Notable Book Award in 2016.

The majority of Beale’s writing is set in the contemporary world, exploring diverse themes such as boys restoring an old car, a girl managing a family business, and a teenage go-kart racing prodigy.

The New Zealand Listener has described Beale as “one of the most consistently accomplished and versatile writers for teenagers in the country.” Trevor Agnew of The Press called her a “strong storyteller,” and Frances Grant of the Weekend Herald noted her to be “consistently engaging.” Beale is a popular participant in the Writers in School program, with the Northern Advocate commenting that she is “in touch with the modern young market.”

Her entry in The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature highlighted that her characters are “intensely aware of their difficulties, social troubles and shortcomings,” showcasing her understanding of teenagers and her ability to engage even reluctant readers.

The National Library’s Services to Schools review acclaimed Juno of Taris as “a riveting futuristic story,” drawing comparisons to Bernard Beckett’s Genesis and Lois Lowry’s The Giver. The reviewer concluded, “it is a brilliant story that completely enthralled me.”

The sequel, Fierce September, was listed among The New Zealand Listener’s ‘50 Best Children’s Books of 2010’. North and South praised its narrative for its “compelling authenticity,” while the Otago Daily Times noted, “The writing is tight; the characterisation credible, and the narrative exciting.” The book’s innovative use of blog commentary at the beginning of each chapter was widely appreciated, with Magpies commenting on how the “cross-media technique of combining online blogs with traditional text…brings the book vividly into our world.”

Reviewing Heart of Danger, the final book in the Juno trilogy, Angelina Sbroma of New Zealand Books identified Juno as a “protagonist of wish-fulfilment fantasy in the grand tradition,” while still being a “rounded character.” The book prompted Bob Docherty to express a desire for a fourth installment.

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