Danielle Binks is a Melbourne-based writer and literary agent with Jacinta di Mase Management. In 2017, she edited and contributed to Begin, End, Begin, an anthology of new Australian young adult writing inspired by the #LoveOzYA movement, which won the ABIA Book of the Year for Older Children (Ages 13+). The Year the Maps Changed, Danielle’s bestselling middle-grade novel, was a 2021 Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Notable Book, and released in North America in 2022 with Harper Collins. Her first solo YA novel The Monster of Her Age released in 2021, and won in the Young Adult category of the 2022 Indie Book Awards. Her latest middle grade novel is Six Summers of Tash & Leopold. Danielle is also teaching Fiction & Young Adult Writing in the Associate Degree of Professional Writing and Editing at RMIT University.
The Year the Maps Changed by Danielle Binks is a middle-grade novel set in 1999 on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Australia. It follows the story of Winifred (Fred), an eleven-year-old girl navigating significant changes in her family and community.
Fred’s family is complicated: her mother passed away when she was young, and she lives with her adoptive father, Luca, and her grandfather. When Luca’s girlfriend and her son move in, Fred feels increasingly displaced. At the same time, their town becomes a temporary home for hundred of Kosovar-Albanian refugees fleeing war, which brings new challenges and friendships into Fred's life.
The novel explores themes of belonging, family, and empathy, showing how Fred’s personal struggles mirror the broader issues faced by the refugees. Through her interactions with the newcomers, Fred learns about compassion and the importance of community.
A touching and thought-provoking story that highlights the impact of global events on individual lives and the power of kindness and understanding.
Summerised by CoPilot