University of Queensland Press (UQP) has acquired world rights to Searching for Starwings, the second verse novel by Sandy Bigna, in a deal brokered by Danielle Binks of Jacinta di Mase Management.

Searching for Starwings follows an 11-year-old boy called Spitfire as he tracks down an elusive moth species to save a beloved snow gum.

Bigna is the author of Little Bones, which was named a Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Honour Book, won the children’s book award at the Queensland Literary Awards, was given the award for best children’s fiction at the Aurealis Awards, and was shortlisted for a Prime Minister’s Literary Award.

UQP children’s publisher Cathy Vallance said collaborating with Bigna on Little Bones and watching its subsequent success had been a career highlight.

Of Bigna’s new novel, Vallance said: “This spell-bounding book has it all: a magical tree, a thrilling quest up a mountain and sentences so beautiful you reread them over and over in admiration.”

“I hope that readers will fall in love with Spitfire and Snowy, and I can’t wait to share their story of magic and adventure,” said Bigna.

UQP plans to publish Searching for Starwings in June 2027.