The Garden of Empress Cassia

The Garden of Empress Cassia
ISBN: 9780143300274
Publication Date: 2 September 2002

Mimi laid the box in the bench and opened it carefully. Inside were rows and rows of coloured pastels that shimmered in the light. She rolled them under her fingertips and her imagination began to fill with amazing pictures.

When Mimi is given a box of magical pastels, she discovers that she can draw the Garden of Empress Cassia - a drawing so beautiful and real that people are transported inside it. But the pastels are ancient, mysterious and powerful, and in the wrong hands can be very dangerous . . .

About The Author

Gabrielle Wang is an author and illustrator born in Melbourne of Chinese heritage. Her great grandfather came to Victoria during the Gold Rush. In her twenties she went in search of her roots, living in both China and Taiwan where she studied Chinese language and painting. Her stories are a blend of Chinese and Western culture with a touch of fantasy.

Gabrielle's novel The Garden of Empress Cassia won the 2002 Aurealis Award, was shortlisted for the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards and was a CBC Notable Book. The Pearl of Tiger Bay was shortlisted for the 2004 Aurealis Award and The Lion Drummer was named a Notable Book in the 2009 CBC Book of the Year Awards.

Gabrielle's latest novel, A Ghost in My Suitcase, was released in 2009.

Her first young adult novel, Little Paradise, an epic love story set during World War Two in Melbourne and Shanghai, will be published in 2010.

Gabrielle lives in Melbourne with her partner, Steve, and their two children, Lei Lei and Ren.