"The judging panel is delighted to award the grant to Arno Bohlmeijer for his novel-in-progress, Scared, Mad, More. Bohlmeijer’s distinctive and original narrative voice tells a story both tender and powerful about a child navigating friendships, challenging family relationships, and feelings of isolation in a sometimes confusing world. We found ourselves drawn in by the vulnerability and winsome eccentricity of Sparrow, the narrator, who sees the extraordinary in the ordinary all around her."
PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists