Graffiti Moon - Cath Crowley

Winner of the 2011 Prime Minister's Literary Awards (young adult fiction)

Lucy is in love with Shadow, a mysterious graffiti artist. Ed thought he was in love with Lucy, until she broke his nose.

Dylan loves Daisy, but throwing eggs at her probably wasn't the best way to show it. Jazz and Leo are slowly encircling each other.

An intense and exhilarating 24 hours in the lives of four teenagers on the verge: of adulthood, of HSC, of finding out just who they are, and who they want to be.

A lyrical new Young adult novel from the award-winning author of Chasing Charlie Duskin and the Gracie Faltrain series.

Biography

Cath Crowley grew up in rural Victoria. She comes from a family of seven: her parents, three brothers and a dog called Elvis. All of them encouraged her to give up full-time teaching to write. Cath studied professional writing and editing at RMIT and works as both a freelance writer in Melbourne and a part-time teacher. She has lived and taught overseas but now lives in Kingsville in Melbourne. Graffiti Moon is Cath's fifth novel, following the three Gracie Faltrain novels and the award-winning Chasing Charlie Duskin.

Judges’ comments

Graffiti artist Shadow and his friend Poet, who tags his images with words, are enigmatic figures who haunt the night and the dreams of a girl named Lucy. On the last night of Year 12 Lucy, Jazz and Daisy hook up with Leo, Ed and Dylan to search for the tantalising duo. But the boys know whom the artists are and are keeping something secret. And all of them are falling in or out of love. Leo and Ed (who has dropped out of school) have always got money troubles and are on the brink of pulling a crime. This night is charged with emotion, danger and hope. Told from alternating points-of-view, Crowley perfectly captures the teenagers’ tenderness and their toughness. Lucy and Ed might seem marginalised, but they dream big and are not limited by their circumstances. The novel’s dual focus skilfully mirrors Lucy and Ed’s own game of hide-and-seek in the night as they search for the truth about each other and the world they inhabit. This is a heart-stopping romantic adventure, singing with a love of art and language.