Hello, I’m Anton Clifford-Motopi
I enjoy writing funny and thought provoking stories for children.
My story
Anton’s passion is writing funny and thought provoking stories for children that explore themes of self-identity, family relationships and friendship. His stories draw from his experiences of being black with light-skin, growing up in a large adoptive family and raising four children.
Anton’s debut novel, To and Fro, was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards and the Reading Children’s Prize. His latest novel, Stuck in the Middle, will be published by Allen & Unwin in August 2026.
Anton lives in Brisbane, Australia.
To and Fro
Sam thinks he's a weird-looking white kid with an afro. He lives with his white mum (annoying but not smelly) and brown dog Trevor (smelly but not annoying). He's never met his father. He just knows that his father is black.
But a surprise visit has Sam questioning who he really is. Is he a white kid with a black dad? Or a black kid with white skin? Or half-black and half-white?
Not only does Sam want to know these answers, he has to know them to finish his annoying homework and perform in the school concert. But how can he make his outside match his insides if he doesn't know who he is?
Stuck in the Middle
Coming August 2026
Dad likes rules. Mum likes order. My siblings like breaking both.
Leon is having a bad time – his best friend Jacob has moved to Alaska, he’s not allowed to look after Jacob’s cat, he has to be a buddy to the weird new kid and no one in his family listens to him. The only place he feels calm is under his bed, listening to cat-themed songs.
When Leon encourages his parents to help out the new kid, his problems get worse. Everyone in Leon’s family seems to like Victor better than him. He tries to tell them how he’s feeling, but how can a quiet person like Leon make himself heard in such a loud family?