UWAP acquires McWilliams’s “Bandoola”

UWA Publishing (UWAP) has acquired world rights to Bandoola, a middle-grade historical fiction novel by Beverley McWilliams, following an Australian Society of Authors’ Virtual Literary Speed Dating event in March 2025.

Bandoola follows the life of a Burmese logging elephant from a mischievous calf to a World War II hero. Inspired by a true story, it is told from the elephant’s point of view.

“Bandoola is a story of courage, loyalty and the powerful bond that connects people and animals,” said the publisher. “The book has received early praise from beloved Australian authors Dianne Wolfer and Claire Saxby.”

McWilliams is joint regional coordinator of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in South Australia. Her middle-grade novel Spies in the Sky (illus by Martina Heiduczek, Pantera) won the ARA Historical Novel Prize 2024, was shortlisted for the Readings Prize and longlisted for the Booklinks Award for Historical Fiction.

Her middle-grade novel The Reindeer and the Submarine (Pantera) was published in 2022, and she has also published three picture books: 2025 Speech Pathology Book of the Year Willow’s Gumboots and Born to Fly (both CBCA notables and published by MidnightSun Publishing), as well as Cassowary Dad (CSIRO Publishing).

McWilliams said, “I’m passionate about creating stories that make history more accessible and exciting for young readers, while fostering empathy and understanding for the animals that have shared our past.”

UWAP publisher Kate Pickard said, “The story is passionate, adventurous and pacy, and it will be the first middle-grade novel we have published in over a decade. Beverley is clearly skilled at bringing historical tales of war-time animals to life and we are delighted to working with her on this heart-warming and inspiring novel.”

UWAP has scheduled Bandoola for an August 2026 release.

Category: Rights and acquisitions