Author
Annaleise Byrd grew up on a farm in Queensland, ignoring most farm-related pursuits in favour of reading books. She then spent nine years in England and Canada, neglecting a variety of jobs in favour of reading books. Eventually, she realised the best way to get away with this was to become an author.
Annaleise now writes funny books for kids and lives in Brisbane with her husband, two young sons and rescue greyhound. She is particularly fond of lamingtons. Annaleise’s debut middle grade novel, Losing the Plot, will be published by Walker Books Australia in March 2024.
Student Sessions
Annaleise will talk about her debut middle grade novel, Losing the Plot, and why she wanted to write a book that is as much for kids who don’t like reading (yet) as it is for kids who do. Annaleise will discuss how fairytales have changed over time, regale the audience with an obscure story (or five) and get the kids talking about fairytale ingredients. The group will then be entertained by a brand-new (and probably quite weird) fairytale via a collaborative storytelling game.