Gracey (9780702226106) [1] is a young adult novel written by Australian author James Moloney and first published in 1994 by University of Queensland Press. By 2013 the National Library of Australia listed 24 editions of the novel in a variety of formats including book, audio book, braille and e-book. [2] It is the second book in the Gracey trilogy, the first being Dougy (1993) and the third Angela (1998) In 1995 it was an Honour Book in the category of Older Readers in the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards. [3] It is also part of the Kerry White collection of Australian children's books. [4]
James Moloney wrote about his reasons for writing Gracey:
After Dougy, I didn't intend to keep the story going.... For young black kids in their late teens and early twenties, there were few opportunities - for jobs, for esteem in the community, for access to the things that most young men want such as a car, a bit of money in the pocket, a bit of excitement. This leads into a cycle of helplessness and then hopelessness, often getting them into trouble with the law for mainly petty offences.
I thought Raymond might go the same way ... Gracey had gone off to a boarding school and started to wonder whether she would lose her identity. The idea for the bones ...makes an interesting concept - that a modern Australian town is built over the bones of those killed so that it could be built. [5]
Gracey and her friend Angela are spending their last holidays in Cunningham with her brothers Dougy and Raymond. They attend school in Australia and are visiting where Gracey's family have moved. Gracey is uncomfortable and embarrassed by her family while Angela is enjoying the visit.
While playing in some trenches Dougy comes across some bones which appear to him to be human like. At Gracey's suggestion he, Gracey and Angela take them to the police where the bones are taken away from him. The police investigate and discover more bones.
Back in Brisbane, Gracey's English teacher gives Gracey a few books on aboriginal history and deaths. Gracey is at first disinterested as she wants to fit in and be a part of the 'white community', but further research reveals the origin of the bones Dougy found. Gracey returns to Cunningham when her mother dies and a series of violent and tragic incidents cause Gracey to reassess her outlook. The story is narrated by Gracey and Dougy. [6]
The Gracey Trilogy includes:
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Dougy (ISBN 0702224995) is a young adult novel written by James Moloney and first published in 1993 by University of Queensland Press. By 2013 the National Library of Australia listed 18 editions of the novel in a variety of formats including book, audio book, braille and e-book. It is the first book in the Gracey trilogy, followed by Gracey (1994) and Angela (1998) In 1994 it was an Honour Book in the category of Older Readers in the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards. James Moloney taught for 2 years in outback Queensland and his observation from that time developed into the novel. "I watched aboriginal children growing up, the difficulties they faced, the close family relations that mean so much and the ingrained prejudice of the dominant white culture around them." The book is dedicated to Douglas Collins, a student Moloney taught, who collapsed and died during a rugby game.
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Touch Me (ISBN 0702231517) is a novel written by Australian author James Moloney. It was published in April 2000 by University of Queensland Press. The National Library of Australia holds eleven editions of this title including as a book, braille, sound recording, MP3 and electronic resource. It is also included in the Kerry White collection of Australian children's books.
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Angela (0702230847) is a young adult novel written by the Australian author James Moloney and first published in 1998 by University of Queensland Press. By 2013 the National Library of Australia listed 19 editions of the novel in a variety of formats including book, audio book, braille and e-book. It is the third book in the Gracey trilogy, the first being Dougy (1993) and the second Gracey (1994) It won an Honourable Mention in the UNESCO Prize for Children's Literature in the Service of Tolerance and Peace. It is also part of Kerry White collection of Australian children's books.
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