I Am Rebecca

Fleur Beale is an acclaimed author with over 40 books published in New Zealand, as well as in the United States and England. She is the only writer to have twice won the Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award for a Much-Loved Book, receiving it in 2007 for Slide the Corner and in 2009 for I Am Not Esther. In 2009, she won the Esther Glen Award for distinguished contribution to children’s literature for Juno of Taris.

Her novel Fierce September won the YA category in the 2011 NZ Post Children’s Book Awards and the LIANZA Young Adult Award in 2011. In recognition of her outstanding contribution to children’s writing, Beale was awarded the Margaret Mahy Medal in 2012 and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2015. She was also the Dunedin College of Education’s Writer in Residence in 1999. A former high-school teacher, Beale resides in Wellington.

I Am Not Esther, one of Beale’s most recognized works, tells the story of a girl sent to live with relatives belonging to a strict religious cult. This psychological thriller received an Honour Award in the 1999 New Zealand Post Children’s Book Awards and is featured 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 in addressing the control of children’s minds and emotions.

The sequel, I Am Rebecca, published in 2014, was highly praised, 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. A review in the Otago Daily Times described it as a “tension-filled, thrilling read” that exposes hypocrisy.

Being Magdalene, the concluding novel in the series, was released in 2015. Tearaway awarded it five out of five stars, calling it the “favourite book in the series” with a “perfect” ending. The New Zealand Listener commended Beale’s ability to portray nuances between black and white, balancing the exposure of hypocrisy with the compassion shown by other adult characters. Being Magdalene received a Storylines Notable Book Award in 2016.

Beale’s writing primarily explores contemporary settings, with themes ranging from young people fixing cars to taking over family businesses and competitive kart racing. The New Zealand Listener has recognized her as “one of the most consistently accomplished and versatile writers for teenagers in the country.”

Described as a “strong storyteller” and “consistently engaging,” Beale is a popular participant in the Writers in School programme, demonstrating her connection with the young readership. Her characters are noted for their “intensely aware[ness] of their difficulties, social troubles and shortcomings,” showcasing her understanding of teenagers and her ability to engage even reluctant readers.

Juno of Taris, a futuristic story, has been compared to Bernard Beckett’s Genesis and Lois Lowry’s The Giver. A reviewer for the National Library’s Services to Schools called it a “brilliant story that completely enthralled me.”

Its sequel, Fierce September, was selected as one of The New Zealand Listener’s “50 Best Children’s Books of 2010.” North and South praised its “compelling authenticity,” while the Otago Daily Times lauded its “tight” writing, “credible characterisation,” and “exciting” narrative. The book’s innovative use of blog commentary at the start of each chapter was widely acclaimed for its cross-media approach, bringing the story “vividly into our world.”

In a review of Heart of Danger, the final book in the Juno trilogy, Angelina Sbroma identified Juno as a protagonist in the “wish-fulfilment fantasy” tradition, yet still a “rounded character.” Bob Docherty expressed a desire for a fourth installment.

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