Libby Hathorn is one of Australia's most highly regarded writers for children and has also been published extensively overseas. Among other awards, she won the inaugural NSW Children's Week Medal for literature in 1992.

For more information, free writing tips and teaching resources, go to www.libbyhathorn.com.

Edith's family has hit hard times - her father's gone, her two brothers have been sent to a home for boys, and it's just Edith, her mother and Blackie. When her mother tells her to burn the house down to collect the insurance, Edith has to make her own decisions and fight for what she believes in.Fire Song was commended in the Society of Women Writers of NSW bi-annual awards and was also highly commended in the Prime Minister's Literary Awards for 2010.