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Jessica Townsend

ジェシカ・タウンゼンド

Jessica Townsend

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1985-04-18 （Caloundra, Queensland, Australia）
Nationality
Australian
Languages
English
Residence History
Queensland, Australia → London, United Kingdom

Career

Occupations
author, children's fantasy author, copywriter, editor
Active Years
2017-2025
Influenced By
J. K. Rowling, Louisa May Alcott, Philip Pullman, Gregory Maguire, John Marsden
Nominations
NSW Premier's Literary Awards Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children's Literature shortlist (2019)

Awards

Australian Book Industry Awards
2018
Work: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
Category: Book of the Year
Organization: Australian Book Industry Awards
Result: winner
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature
2020
Work: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
Category: Premier's Award
Organization: South Australian Government
Result: winner
Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature
2020
Work: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
Category: Children's Award
Organization: South Australian Government
Result: winner
Waterstones Children's Book Prize
2018
Work: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
Category: Younger Fiction
Organization: Waterstones
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

2017 Children's fantasy 464 pages

Morrigan Crow, a cursed child doomed to die on her eleventh birthday, is rescued by Jupiter North and taken to the magical world of Nevermoor, where she must undergo trials to join the Wundrous Society.

cursemagictrialsfriendshipadventure
Adaptations
  • [Film] Nevermoor / Drew Goddard
Translations
  • Japanese translation available

Bibliography

  • Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (2017)
  • Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (2018)
  • Hollowpox: The Hunt for Morrigan Crow (2020)
  • Silverborn: The Mystery of Morrigan Crow (2025)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Imaginative world-buildingBalance of humor and tensionVivid character descriptions
Recurring Motifs
magical creaturessecret societiesfate and choicewondrous transport

Legacy

Australian children's fantasy author who achieved international success with the Nevermoor series, often compared to Harry Potter.

Trivia

  • Wrote her first story at age 7, published in a local library newsletter.
  • Began writing the first Nevermoor book the year she left high school.
  • Received bids from eight publishers at the 2016 Frankfurt Book Fair.