FRIDAY Barnes is fast becoming one of the most popular young detectives in the world.
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Avid young readers have R.A. Spratt to thank for the intriguing 11-year-old girl detective who uses her impressive powers of deduction to right wrongs at her very exclusive, hoity-toity boarding school.
But it’s not just young readers celebrating the success of the Friday Barnes series.
R.A. Spratt was recognised at the 2016 Davitt Awards when Friday Barnes: Under Suspicion (book two) won Best Children’s Crime Novel. Sisters in Crime Australia launched the Davitt Awards to provide recognition for the best crime fiction books by Australian women.
Skilled author and television writer R.A. Spratt has previously won two Australian Writers Guild AWGIE awards, but was excited to discover her recent win came with a tangible keepsake.
“It’s actually the first trophy I’ve won for writing – the only other time I’ve won a trophy was a year ago in a weightlifting competition,” the woman of many talents said.
More than 250,000 copies of the Friday Barnes books have been sold across Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. And as more and more readers latch on to the series, that number will continue to rise.
However, one of the challenges in writing for a young audience is the unavoidable fact that they keep getting older. With this in mind, R.A. Spratt produces two new books each year.
“Not only does it encourage really good discipline, but it builds enthusiasm in your readership base,” she said. “They can really quickly grow out of your readership age window because if your target is six to 10, you might only produce four books during that time.”
Regardless, there are many Friday Barnes fans who will hold onto the book series for a long time to come.
“There’s a certain comfort in coming back to the books that you grew up with, and for me to be that special author for a lot of children, that’s something special.”
R.A. Spratt fans who’ve also grown to love Nanny Piggins will be pleased to hear there’s a special Christmas treat on the way. A Nanny Piggins short story will be published in a Random House anthology this year.