I Am Not Esther

Fleur Beale is an award-winning author with over 40 books published for children and young adults in New Zealand, as well as in the United States and England. She is the only writer to have won the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book twice, for Slide the Corner (2007) and I Am Not Esther (2009). Her book Juno of Taris earned her the Esther Glen Award in the 2009 LIANZA Children’s Book Awards.

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 appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Beale was also the Writer in Residence at Dunedin College of Education in 1999. A former high-school teacher, she resides in Wellington.

One of Beale’s most recognized works, I Am Not Esther, tells the story of a girl placed with relatives in a strict religious cult. This psychological thriller received an Honour Award in the 1999 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards and was included in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. Reissued in 2012, it has remained in print since its initial publication. Magpies noted its relevance “wherever there are attempts to control the minds and emotions of children.”

The sequel, I Am Rebecca (2014), was well-received, named a 2015 Storylines Notable Young Adult Fiction book, shortlisted for the New Zealand Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults (Young Adult category), and winner of the LIANZA Librarian’s Choice Award. Rene Nol of the Otago Daily Times described it as a “tension-filled, thrilling read that affirms genuine belief while exposing hypocrisy.”

Being Magdalene (2015) concluded the series. Tierney Reardon of Tearaway awarded it five stars, calling it “my favourite book in the series; the ending seemed to tie things off so perfectly.” Ann Packer, in the New Zealand Listener, praised Beale’s “insightful ability to see shades between black and white… While exposing the hypocrisy of those Elders claiming divine guidance, Beale allows other church adults to show compassion, wisdom and discernment in a fine balance.” Being Magdalene received a Storylines Notable Book Award in 2016.

Beale’s writing predominantly features contemporary settings, exploring themes such as boys fixing up cars, a girl taking over a family business, and a 15-year-old kart racer. The New Zealand Listener has described her as “one of the most consistently accomplished and versatile writers for teenagers in the country.”

Known as a “strong storyteller” (Trevor Agnew, The Press) and “consistently engaging” (Frances Grant, Weekend Herald), Beale is a popular participant in the Writers in School program, demonstrating her connection with the “modern young market” (Northern Advocate). The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature highlights her characters’ “intensely aware of their difficulties, social troubles and shortcomings,” showcasing her understanding of teenagers and her ability to engage reluctant readers.

Juno of Taris was acclaimed as “a riveting futuristic story” by the National Library’s Services to Schools, drawing comparisons to Bernard Beckett’s Genesis and Lois Lowry’s The Giver. The reviewer stated it was “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 “compelling authenticity,” while the Otago Daily Times noted the “tight” writing, “credible” characterisation, and “exciting” narrative. Its innovative use of blog commentary at the start of each chapter was widely lauded, with Magpies commenting on how the “cross-media technique of combining online blogs with traditional text… brings the book vividly into our world.”

In a review of 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.” Bob Docherty expressed a desire for a fourth installment.

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