University of Western Australia Publishing (UWAP) has acquired world rights to Julianne Negri’s young adult verse novel Hunting Bears, via Danielle Binks of Jacinta di Mase Management.
Hunting Bears is described as a ‘heart-wrenching verse novel for young adult readers that tackles the tough reality of suicide amongst teenagers,’ said UWAP. The publisher added that the book is ‘inspired by Julianne Negri’s personal loss of her friend Joanne when she was younger’, using children’s story We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury to tell the story of protagonist “Dog,” who returns to school six months after her best friend, “Bear,” died by suicide. ‘Unflinching, emotional, and darkly funny at times, Hunting Bears is a collision of idyllic childhood memories, overwhelming grief, deep shame, escapism, friendship, love and teenage choices.’
UWAP publisher Kate Pickard said: ‘UWAP is proud to continue our commitment to young adult publishing in Australia with this unflinching and emotional verse novel. Hunting Bears tackles traumatic issues in a deeply personal and beautiful way, and we are eager to share Julianne’s work with the world.’
Said Negri: ‘Hunting Bears is a dear and personal story. I am heartened that this book has found the right home at UWAP, a publisher that nurtures strong and brave work.’
Binks said the novel ‘is an incredibly brave and important work that is a long time in the writing, and it was a case of right place, right time that Kate Pickard and UWAP could see that importance and potential’.
A Melbourne-based author, Negri has previously written the middle-grade novel The Secret Library of Hummingbird House (Affirm), the middle-grade nonfiction book Aussie STEM Stars: Veena Sahajwalla (Wild Dingo Press), and the picture book Almost a Fish (illus by Evie Barrow, Little Book Press). Negri has worked in children’s and youth programming for libraries, as well as working as a musician, eco-crafter, filmmaker and television host, and she has five children.
UWAP plans to publish Hunting Bears in the second half of 2025.
