CBCA Tasmania blog

Other Worlds by Penny Garnsworthy

2012-03-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

Who could ever forget Platform 9¾ at Kings Cross Station? Disappearing through a wall might seem like a weird way to board a train but when the train is the Hogwarts Express and it’s taking Harry Potter into a world of witchcraft and wizardry, then it all seems perfectly normal. Harry’s world is very different from our own. At Hogwarts the students learn how to cast spells and make magical potions; owls carry the mail and Quidditch, which is played whilst racing through the air on a broomstick, is the school sport. J K Rowling created an extraordinary world for Harry Potter, a world filled with unusual creatures and unique characters who bore the most amazing names. And we love them all, don’t we? But she wasn’t the first author to create a unique world; nor the first to invent a curious way of getting into it.

Lewis Carroll, in 1865, wrote a story about a little girl named Alice. One day Alice was sitting with her sister on the bank of a river, feeling bored and restless, when a white rabbit with pink eyes dashed past her. Alice didn’t think this in the least unusual until she heard the rabbit exclaim, ‘Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!’ Not only that, but she realised the rabbit was wearing a waistcoat and a pocket watch. Alice then followed the white rabbit down a large rabbit-hole and found herself in a beautiful, strange and magical world. And in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland she came across very interesting characters: the dormouse, the Mock Turtle, the Gryphon and the Cheshire cat, all of whom could carry on a reasonable conversation. And then there was the tea party starring the Mad Hatter, and Alice’s experiences with the Queen of Hearts and a bunch of playing cards.

C S Lewis wrote my all time favourite children’s book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and it too had a unique entry to a fantastic world. Lucy, who is visiting the home of an old professor in the country with her sister and brothers, finds a wardrobe in one of the rooms and steps inside to investigate. As she wanders through the big fur coats she finds herself walking on snow, in the middle of a forest. And the first creature she meets is a faun who looks startled and says, “Goodness gracious me!” In Narnia, unicorns and centaurs roam, and Aslan the great lion seeks Lucy’s help in defeating the wicked White Witch.

I have just finished reading another wonderful ‘other world’ book by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams entitled Tunnels. Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows goes digging with his dad, an archaeologist, but he uncovers a lot more than just ancient artefacts: he discovers a world beneath his own, one that is both fascinating and dangerous. Great story.

All of these books share common themes: they’re all wonderful adventure tales; they all feature incredibly interesting characters and they’re all written by very talented storytellers. But most significantly they take us, the readers, into exciting and sometimes dangerous worlds where we can lose ourselves and pretend to be one of those characters, just for a while.

Hooked on Books! - Maureen Mann

2012-02-29T18:36:00.003-08:00

Detail of illustration by Jane Tanner for The 1992 Little Arc Children's Calendar,
December image - Child reading with Dog and Teddy Bear, published by Allen & Unwin, 1991

I am lucky enough to be living in Launceston which has the excellent Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. Amongst the many gems at the Museum at Inveresk, there is a wonderful touring exhibition called Hooked on Books: Australian children’s picture book illustrations from the collection of Albert Ullin OAM. It will be here till June 17 so there’s plenty of time to get in to see it. It’s been on the Australian circuit for several years but that does not take away any of the delights of seeing it in person. Give yourself lots of time to take it all in. I’ve been several times and have many more planned – I’m lucky enough to live close by and can go in for short periods at a time and therefore can focus only on a few pictures at a time.

Over 90 original illustrations are included, spanning publications of the past 30+ years and collected by Albert Ullin, the founding owner of The Little Bookroom in Melbourne. You’ll find a wonderful selection of Australian children’s book illustrators, recognising many of the books and their pages, even though some of them are now out of print and all but unobtainable, but will wonder why others aren’t represented. Tasmania’s Peter Gouldthorpe and Ron Brooks are there. Several John Winch illustrations took my eye because he is a personal favourite. I love the detail and occasional whimsy he gave to his illustrations. The publicity illustration is taken from Jane Tanner’s December illustration for the 1992 Little Ark Children’s Calendar – a wonderful study of child, teddy and dog reading together. Look for an early Jeannie Baker, an unpublished Peter Pavey, May Gibbs, Madeline Winch, Freya Blackwood, Robert Ingpen, Alison Lester, Andrew McLean and many others. Whose your favourite illustrator and why? Which ones do you not recognise but wish you had?

One of the great additions to this touring exhibition is the Please Touch section: a mini Little Bookroom where children are encouraged to read or be read to: a carpet for sitting on, cushions available and the original red chair from Ullin’s shop. The book selection here includes well-known titles featured in the exhibition. There are cabinets which hold not-to-be-touched signed copies of books, some of them showing the quirky dedications.

Come and enjoy it.

For more information about the exhibition, see the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery website.

Judging a book by its cover - Nella Pickup

2012-02-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

I admit to being shallow. When I receive a proof with a bland beige cover or find that one of my favourite authors has an uninspiring cover, the book tends to go to the bottom of my pile..

Looking through my book shelves, I’m astounded at the many different versions of the same title. Would I have enjoyed Jasper Jones more if I’d seen the more realistic cover first?

Food stain rating – very messy as it took so long to finish

If you saw this cover, would you think it a fantasy romance instead of a CIA thriller/time travelling romance?

Quick light read – maybe some coffee stains between breakfast and lunch.

Is the word “wonder” always depicted in blue?

Don’t eat while reading Wonderstruck – you need booth hands to hold the pages open to see the detailed drawings.

Tear stains – an emotional read – look for it when it comes out in March

Great book but three teens running through a paddock?

Look along your shelves. What appeals to you? Are you more likely to have a book with water on the cover? Do you like realistic or stylised images?

Books and movies - by Maureen Mann

2012-02-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

There’s always discussion as to whether the book or the film is better. It will never have a right answer, as it depends so much on the viewer and the reader. And we have many fabulous book-to-film creations to choose from. One of the most recent, apart from the Harry Potter series is Hugo, the 3D adaptation of Brian Selznick’s wonderful graphic novel called The Invention of Hugo Cabret. If you haven’t read this adventure, then do so. The illustrations are an essential part of the book but don’t be put off by its length: it’s a relatively quick read. The film is an interesting adaptation.

I started thinking about conversion of book to film after spending time in Canada with my young grandson who enjoys the many series on TV based on several all-time children’s classics. Some of his favourites are the adventures of Franklin (Pauline Bourgeois) and Max and Ruby (Rosemary Wells). Which of our Australian children’s books, given unlimited production funds and a world distribution network being available, would convert well to pre-school series? We don’t have many titles based on one character which have been published. But in an ideal world …

I’m only going to touch on some of the wonderful Australian authors and illustrators who could be included in this concept. People such as Mem Fox, Margaret Wild, Ann James, Graeme Base and Jenny Wagner should be considered. There are lots of adventures which could result from adaptations of Bear and Chook (Lisa Shanahan and Emma Quay) and which could include character and health education ‘lessons’: the concepts of sharing, caring and selflessness. Alison Lester’s Are We There Yet? would make a fabulous series about Australia without it merely becoming a travelogue. It could include similar elements to those that make the Dora the Explorer programs so successful: child interaction, I-spy events as well as basic geographic concepts. This is also the book which forms the basis of educational activities for under 12s as part of the National Year of Reading (Have a look what else is available at http://www.love2read.org.au/nyr-programs.cfm).

The Diary of a Wombat (Jackie French and Bruce Whatley) could introduce children around the world firstly to wombats and their eccentric habits including living in and near people, but also to our many unique Australian animals. This series could be extended to other Australian flora and fauna which do not co-habit areas with wombats. Mothball has such as strong personality that she could become an iconic creature.

Pamela Allen has several picture books which could be extended to create a mini-series of TV shows. There are lots of mathematical concepts which could be explored starting from the basis of Mr Archimedes’ Bath or Who Sank the Boat?

Just imagine some of Leigh Hobbs’ characters coming to life on the screen: Old Tom or Mr Badger, especially if Hobbs himself could be part of the production team. Hobbs has written many Old Tom adventures as well as 4 Mr Badger books (and more to come?). As his website says, ‘Old Tom is a barely house-trained lazy scruffy mischief-maker. With one bung eyes, a bandaged foot and assorted scratches, he creates havoc wherever he goes’. (http://www.leighhobbs.com.au/book9.html). What more could a production company demand! Both these collections are available in UK and USA which makes them even more universal than the ones which are essentially restricted to Australian audiences.

Those are my ideas. What do you think? What wonderful Australian children’s books do you think I have missed?

Literary Merit - with CBCA judge Jenni Connor

2012-01-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

As the current Tasmanian Judge for the Book Awards in the final stages of reading and reviewing titles published in 2011 and entered for the 2012 awards, I have been reflecting on that elusive quality (or set of qualities) ‘literary merit’.

Children’s Book Council of Australia guidelines for judges state:

The judges assess entries for the Awards primarily for literary merit, including:

cohesiveness of significant literary elements;
language chosen carefully for its appropriateness to the theme;
style of the work with proper regard to the aesthetic qualities of language; &
originality in the treatment of literary elements as they apply to the form of the work.

Appeal to readership under the age of eighteen is also taken into account. Judges should also consider quality of illustrations, book design, production, printing and binding.

Of course, each category for the Awards carries different emphases:

Older readers – awards will be made to outstanding works of fiction, drama or poetry which require a degree of maturity to appreciate the topics, themes and scope of emotional involvement.
Younger readers – awards will be made to outstanding works of fiction, drama or poetry for readers who have developed independent reading skills but are still developing in literary appreciation.
Early childhood – awards will be made to outstanding works of fiction, drama, poetry or concept books for children who are at ‘pre-reading’ or early stages of reading (they may, of course, be picture books for young children).
Picture Book of the Year – awards will be made to outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity... (a set of artistic criteria apply).
Eve Pownall Award – will be made to outstanding books which have the prime intention of documenting factual material...

Over the years, in my various levels of involvement with CBCA, I have often been asked ‘Why didn’t this book do well? It’s so popular.’ The answer is that there are lots of ‘Kids Picks’ awards out there, but CBCA has always had the mission to recognise and promote ‘the best’ works published in Australia for young people. CBCA Awards have a major impact on sales, impacting on authors, illustrators and the Australian publishing and retail industries. As well as supporting their living through sales and the Awards prize money, the Awards promote Australia’s outstanding authors and illustrators overseas; Graeme Base was little known when he created Animalia, now he’s a best seller in the US and throughout the world.

Which begs the question of ‘literary merit’ and there is no doubt that making such judgements is partly subjective; one man’s fish is another’s poison!

Judges decisions are informed by the guidelines, by skilled chairing and thoughtful debate at the four day Judges’ Conference and by the breadth of experience with literature and young people that each brings to the table. From my personal point of view, I highly value originality in approach to a theme; I take language very seriously and look for it to be richly metaphorical and lyrical, or edgy and biting, depending on the content; I expect characters and relationships to develop and plot elements to connect and cohere; and I really appreciate emotional involvement – I want to care about these characters and what happens to them; I want memories of that book to linger with me for repeated contemplation.

So, when the short lists are announced on 3 April this year at Government House, North terrace, Adelaide, we’ll see how the judges’ choices are received by the general public. There might well be disagreement, but public discussion about ‘what’s a good book for children and young people’ is extremely healthy in a civilized democracy.

Patsy ponders Noah's Ark

2012-01-11T15:30:00.000-08:00

I have been patiently working, in my spare time, on a wall hanging for my youngest grandchild (now aged 5) for some years – I chose a pattern by the renowned Danish creator, Gerda Bengtsson, her Noak’s Ark. I have really enjoyed doing it and am pleased to think I am on the downhill slope now with it….

I have been wondering over the years how many of today’s children are familiar with the story, and this led recently to some research on the topic. A quick look at the Amazon UK website showed that many Noah’s Ark books, DVDs, audiobooks, and even toys are for sale there. So to make sure Tom knows the story when I eventually finish the work, I ordered a copy of each of the Lucy Cousins and Peter Spier picture books.

These are both beautiful books, which would be valuable contributions to your school or home libraries.

Lucy Cousins has used her instantly recognisable simplistic illustrative techniques in her work (Walker Books, first published 1993, my copy a paperback published in 2006, ISBN 978-0-7445-9972-5). She retells the Bible story in a simple fashion and provides charming endpapers with many familiar animals, in pairs of course – but no distinctively Australian animals, unfortunately.

Peter Spier has provided a much more detailed and considered book (Dragonfly Books, 1997, my copy a paperback, ISBN 978-0-440-40693-8), almost textless. But the illustrations are very complex and provide much food for thought. And yes, there are examples of Australian fauna as well! The problems faced by Noah and his family were obviously many in dealing with so many animals – feeding, watering, space allocation, and even dealing with the inevitable waste products are all tackled.

Finished with the books, I looked at the lists of toys for sale on eBay Australia – lots of Noah’s Arks there too! I wondered how many homes actually have a Noah’s Ark set in the toddler’s toybox in this day and age, but judging from Amazon and eBay, there must be quite a few.

Then I thought about Noah’s Ark and the Tasmanian public library – yes, there are plenty of records for Noah’s Ark on the catalogue. Most have been catalogued as picture books or fiction, though there are several DVDs in the Junior collection as well.

So do we look at stories like that of Noah as fiction, religion, or mythology? The Tasmanian public library catalogue and the state school catalogues have many records for books of Bible stories as non-fiction, classified as religion, at 220.9505 – but those about Noah’s Ark alone mainly seem to be catalogued as fiction. Books of mythology, based on religions other than Christianity, such as Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime stories, stories from Ancient Greece and Rome, are mainly catalogued under the Dewey system as 398.2.

Is it time we revisited the way libraries see Bible stories as opposed to stories from other religions and cultures? And what about bookshops? Does your local bookshop display Bible stories as religion, fiction, or myths and legends?

Christmas Reading! by Nella Pickup

2011-12-20T14:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas – four days off work! Of course the time will go quickly - trips to the airport, family commitments, cooking, eating and unwrapping gifts but most importantly there’ll be time to read. As you can see my bedside pile of books could be considered overwhelming – what a delicious problem to have. What do I read first?

As book sales in Australia, UK and USA have dropped between 9%-12% (that includes online sales & ebook sales), authors have been busy producing wonderful picture books that are rallying cries in the defence of the printed book. If you haven’t read them already, add these on your reading pile.

Katie Cleminson Otto the Book Bear (Random House)

Otto, the bear, lives in a book and is happiest when his story is being read. Otto is no ordinary book character; at night, he comes to life and explores the house. When he is left behind in a house move, Otto has to find a new home.

But the city is an awfully big world for such a small bear and Otto misses his warm book. Eventually, he finds the best possible home for a book bear, a magical place... a library.

Libby Gleeson & Freya Blackwood Look, A Book (Little Hare)

Two children walking through a run-down city find a book lying open, and face down in the dirt. The dreary landscape becomes magical. Hens are large enough to carry the children as they chase a dog holding the book in his jaws, a sheet of corrugated iron and a sheet becomes a glider and a tea cup becomes a row boat. Reading a book can change your life.

Emily Gravett Again! (Macmillan)

A baby dragon cuddles up with Mum for his favourite going-to-bed story. It's about Cedric, a naughty dragon who annoys trolls and grabs princesses to turn into pies. As soon as the story is told, the baby asks Again! After a third reading Mum is very tired and baby is turning into a Cedric lookalike with incendiary consequences.

Don't overlook the end papers.

Meg McKinlay No Bears (Walker Books)

Ruby is creating her own book. She is tired of bears; they aren’t needed for a book, unlike ‘pretty things’, ‘maybe a monster’ and a handful of other ‘things’. Meanwhile, in the background, a friendly looking bear is determined to join in – and just as well as he saves the princess (Ruby) when she is kidnapped by a monster.

Colin McNaughton Have you ever ever ever (Walker Books)

A little boy is alone in a deserted playground, clearly unhappy. As he replies to the narrator, it becomes obvious he (like many of today’s children) is not familiar with many classical nursery rhyme characters. But in the distance Mother Goose is flying down towards him to lead him boy to a special place (a library) where he can meet new friends

Reeve Lindbergh Homer the library cat (Walker Books)

Homer’s quiet life is disrupted one day when a window is broken. After several frustrating attempts to find a suitable place, he winds up in the perfect spot.

Lane Smith’s It’s a book (Walker) has been rereleased in a midi format. Monkey is besieged by Jackass’s questions – no, the book doesn’t tweet, text, need charging or need a password; it’s book.

Happy Reading.

The Universal Language - by Penny Garnsworthy

2011-12-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

I have only recently returned from a glorious seven weeks in Greece, Italy and Paris where the history and scenery were magnificent and the food and wine were pretty good too. When we left I had visions of spending several of the twenty or so hours in flight catching up on my reading. But a lot has happened in the airline world since my last overseas trip and this time I found myself enjoying the inflight movies, educational television shows and interactive language programs. So unfortunately my reading tended to take a back seat. Having said that I did manage to read Ruth Rendell's A Judgement in Stone and the original Peter Pan by J M Barrie, via my Kindle.

In Rome I happened upon a book store (as one does) and found myself engrossed in the children's section. Many of the books were in English but never one to do anything in half measures I decided to buy some small and beautifully illustrated picture books in Italian, knowing my other half has an Italian/English dictionary at home. So it was I purchased Pinocchio (written by an Italian anyway), I tre porcellini (or as we know it, the Three Little Pigs) and Riccioli d'Oro e i tre orsi (Goldilocks and the Three Bears).

Then, having not seen Paris for thirty years I fell completely in love with that vibrant yet historic city and found myself using school-girl French at every opportunity. By day three I was confidently ordering coffee and croissants in the local language and finding that the staff in the hotel and in the stores could even understand most of what I was saying. And so it was I decided that when I arrived home I would once again seek to learn conversational French.

As I was wandering through Galleries Lafayette, one of two enormous department stores in the Opera district, I found myself in the book department (as one does) and it was there I found the most fantastic collection of children's books; hundreds of books I have never seen before published by publishers I have never heard of. But what a selection! The picture books were just beautiful and there were so many. How could I help myself?

And so, as I practice my newly adopted language, I look forward to reading a couple of classics: Blanche-Neige (or Snow White as we know it) illustrated by Nicolas Duffaut and Thesee et le Minotaure (or Theseus and the Minotaur) adapted by Christine Palluy and illustrated by Elodie Nouhen. I then decided that it was all very well to purchase picture books with limited text but that to really test my understanding of the language I should read a title that is little more challenging. And so L Frank Baum's Le magicien d'Oz was my final purchase and I can't wait to read it.

They say that music is the universal language. Well, perhaps children's books aren't far behind. Happy reading everyone!

Bending the Truth - by Jenni Connor

2011-12-06T15:48:00.000-08:00

When I was younger and fresh from a History Degree, I couldn’t enjoy historical fiction; I felt like the authors were ‘bending the truth’. Now, it’s one of my favourite forms of fiction.
I first ‘met’ Geraldine Brooks when she wrote about the lives of Muslim women in Nine Parts of Desire (1994) and found her engaging talk at a writers’ festival soon after, entertaining, empathetic and insightful. When her novel, March (2005) won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006, it came as no surprise, revealing as it did Brooks’ amazing capacity to depict deeply personal stories against the backdrop of world events – in this case, the American Civil War which had been the setting for Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.

Then came her extraordinary tour-de-force People of the Book (2008) which employed the device of the history of an illuminated manuscript to explore pivotal points in the wider history of religion, intolerance and persecution.

This year, I’ve been immersed in Caleb’s Crossing (2011) set in the early days of pilgrim settlement in America’s Martha’s Vineyard. Told through the convincing, sensitive voice of the motherless Bethia, the novel charts the journey of the young indigenous Indian man who comes to call himself ‘Caleb’ so that he can gain an education and succeed in a ‘white coat’ world. The novel is underpinned by Brook’s usual meticulous research, but its real power arises from \the author’s ability to enter the lives of the people of the times and her complete mastery of the language of the day that is so strongly connected to culture and identity.

Interestingly, today’s younger readers and young adults are also often attracted to historical fiction. Jackie French’s Oracle, set in ancient Greece, her great Australian saga, A Waltz for Matilda which portrays the experience of a young woman in 1894 and The Horse that Bit the Bushranger, which is a playful fiction about meeting the notorious Ben Hall in 1865 are all popular. The Our Australian Girl series titles (Puffin) starring Poppy, Letty, Rose and Grace are walking off the shelves in primary libraries. And Jane Caro’s Just a Girl is a compelling description of the crumbling House of Tudor, told though the eyes of adolescent Elizabeth 1.

Older Readers who appreciate Australia’s migrant history are intrigued by Gabrielle Wang’s novels A Ghost in My Suitcase and Little Paradise which explore her Chinese heritage.

So, it would seem, ‘bending the truth’ is fine; the ‘truth’ is in the integrity of the storytelling.

Remember to bid on Kate Gordon and Christina Booth's Tasmanian Devil auction - less than two weeks to go! http://www.kategordon.com.au/devil-auction/

Help Save a Tassie Devil This Christmas - Kate Gordon

2011-12-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

As you’ll be aware if you’ve read Thyla, the Tasmanian Devil features prominently in the story. As you may also be aware, the Tassie Devils are in a bit of strife, due to Devil Facial Tumour Disease. The following is from the website of “Save The Tasmanian Devil”:

Tasmanian devils with large facial tumours were photographed in north-east Tasmania during 1996. A decade later, we know these characteristics are consistent with Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).

DFTD is a fatal condition in Tasmanian devils, characterised by cancers around the mouth and head.

DFTD appears to be a new disease that is restricted to Tasmanian devils. No affected animals were detected among the 2000-plus devils trapped by six biologists between 1964 and 1995.

As at February 2010, DFTD had been confirmed across more than 60% of the State. To date, no confirmed cases have been recorded west of the Murchison Highway.

DFTD is extremely unusual: it is one of only three recorded cancers that can spread like a contagious disease. It is spread between individuals through biting.

Animals usually die within a few months of the cancer becoming visible. Tasmanian devils with facial tumours find it difficult to eat. Death results from starvation and the breakdown of body functions.

In diseased areas, nearly all sexually mature Tasmanian devils (older than two years of age) become infected and succumb to the disease. Juveniles as young as one year old can also be infected. This is resulting in populations with a very young age-structure in which females have only one breeding event, whereas they would normally have three.

Populations in which DFTD has been observed for several years have declined by up to 95% (approximate, due to low sample size in recent years), with no evidence to date of either of the decline stopping or the prevalence of the disease decreasing.

The Tasmanian devil has been listed as Endangered by the Federal and State governments, as well as the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). The Tasmanian devil is now wholly protected.”

As you can see the situation is pretty dire, and I’ve been thinking for a long time about ways I could help. What I have decided is to run a charity auction. Those of who took part in the Authors For Queensland auction earlier in the year will know what an amazing result can be achieved from this sort of initiative.

I’ve joined forces with the amazing Christina Booth to put this on and together we have five wonderful auction items for you to bid on. They are:

A signed copy of Thyla
A signed copy of the very first hot-off-the-press Vulpi (the sequel to Thyla) – read it before anyone else does!
A signed very rare hardback copy of Christina Booth’s acclaimed picture book, Potato Music
A manuscript assessment of the first thirty pages of a Young Adult Novel, compiled by me!
And the most wonderful prize of all, an original illustration from Christina’s beautiful Tasmanian Devil book, Purinina.

For more information on how to bid and donate, go to the Devil Auction homepage! Share the page with your friends, think about bidding yourself and help me raise much-needed funds for Tasmania’s beloved devils, and score yourself – or a loved one – a fantastic Chrissie present to boot!

- Kate Gordon

Writing Fantasy 101 by Paul Collins (part two)

2011-11-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

* This is part two of Paul's Writing Fantasy post. Part one can be found here: http://cbcatas.blogspot.com/2011/11/writing-fantasy-101-by-paul-collins.html. Now, the journey continues ...

6. TESTS, ALLIES & ENEMIES

The Hero meets difficulties that test his or her strength and commitment. At this point they are usually not huge tests, but they will grow as the journey develops. In the process they will also enlist the help of allies (who may become permanent companions) and they may make enemies. Frodo ─ along with Sam, Pippin and Merry ─ have their first near misses with the dreaded Black Riders and only narrowly escape them. In the process Frodo is strongly tempted to put on the ring, an action that would bring instant doom to him and his companions, but he manages to pass this test. Cinderella’s enemies are her ‘family’, and an unexpected ally is the fairy godmother and prince. Part of her test is not being recognised by her hateful step-mother and step-sisters and in not becoming so caught up in all the wonder and riches of the Ball that she forgets the time. Harry’s news friends are Ron and Hermione; his enemies are Malfoy, Goyle and Crabbe ─ although these are underlings to Harry’s main foe, Lord Voldemort. His tests are many: the sorting hat, moving stairways, Quidditch. Dorothy makes friends with the Scarecrow and Tinman, and later the lion and learns of the Wicked Witch. Jelindel survives various dangers and adversaries, learns more about her companions, becoming friends to some extent, and finds the map to the other links.

This is also the section where we start to learn about the Hero (and their companions and adversaries) by seeing how they deal with the challenges and tests (such as the fights and negotiations in the cantina in Star Wars). This section may take up a large part of the book or the film.

7. APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE

The Hero approaches the most dangerous place in the story (keep in mind that this sequence of crossing a threshold, undergoing tests, making allies and enemies, and approaching a very dangerous place may be run over and over again, each time increasing in deadliness and difficulty). The hero makes plans or preparations here, often girding him or herself for what is ahead. Here Luke approaches the Death Star and Frodo approaches Mordor (this is the biggest and deadliest ‘inmost cave’ in LOTR; there are many others on the way of course). Cinderella is scared to meet the prince, and also scared when she falls in love with him. Harry must study hard, learn to fly a broomstick, and decide whether to break Hogwarts rules. Dorothy and her friends approach the Emerald City. Jelindel must go to the Valley of Clouds and fight paraworld beasts to find the next link. Someone tries to kill her.

8. THE SUPREME ORDEAL

Here the Hero risks death, risks failure, risks losing everything ─ often not just for themselves but for their world as well. It usually also brings the Hero to their lowest darkest moment in the story, when everything appears to be over due to their apparent failure, and they cannot go on. They must give up. But they don’t. However, this is also where the Hero undergoes a real or symbolic death (or ‘shares’ in one, as Elliot does in E.T. when his alien friend dies). This allows the Hero to be reborn, an important part of the mythical story. In LOTR, Frodo and Sam enter Mordor ─ the most dangerous place in Middle Earth ─ and Frodo ‘dies’ after being stung by the great spider, Shelob. He is then reborn in time to carry out the final part of the quest. Cinderella must escape from the ball before she turns back to her former self. Harry must defeat the fearsome troll, and partake in his first Quidditch match. Dorothy has to confront the Wicked Witch, enraged at the loss of her ruby slippers. Jelindel faces a paraworld beast much more powerful than she is and one who is intent on killing her. She nearly dies. A demon saves her life.

9. REWARD (SEIZING THE SWORD)

The Hero ─ through bravery, loyalty and determination ─ wins through and obtains the treasure, which may be a magical object such as a gem, a sword, a suit of armour, or sometimes special knowledge or power or ─ as in LOTR with a twist on the fairy story ─ is the destruction of the object that is too powerful and too perilous to keep. Cinderella learns that the prince is in love and will marry the woman whose foot fits the lost slipper. Harry is rewarded with Hermione’s friendship and becomes popular when he wins the Quidditch match against Slitherin. After some difficulty, Dorothy persuades the Wizard to grant all their wishes. The demon that saved Jelindel’s life tells her how to use the power of the link without dissipating it. She also finds a flying craft.

By the Hero’s action the world is saved, especially the Ordinary World from where they started.

10. THE ROAD BACK

In many stories the road back is almost as dangerous as the one coming. Sometimes the dark forces chase the Hero for some way as Darth Vader goes after Luke when the Death Star has been destroyed. Frodo’s road back isn’t just the return to the Shire, which is fairly uneventful, but it’s also what happens when he gets there. Cinderella doesn’t think her step-sisters will let the prince anywhere near her and she’ll have to stay in the ordinary world. Harry’s home is now Hogwarts. But he must face a dangerous journey through the Forbidden Forest. Dorothy goes looking for her way back to Kansas when the Wizard’s hot-air balloon takes off with him in it. Jelindel battles Korok, an alien, and his deadly spacecraft. She must then deal with Daretor and Zimak, who pose a threat of another kind.

11. RESURRECTION

Usually there is a final struggle when the Hero returns to the Ordinary World (or is on the border of it). It can be nearly as dark and deadly as what took place in the Supreme Ordeal and can be seen as a smaller version of that challenge. It’s as if darkness has not been fully vanquished yet and whatever residue of it remains in the world is intent on having one last go. Cinderella tries on the glass slipper that fits. She and the prince fall in love. Harry gets past Fluffy, the three-headed dog, and outwits the flying keys and plays a deadly game of wizard chess in order to stop Voldemort getting the philosopher’s stone, but he’s struck down and seems to die. Dorothy’s greatest danger has already passed when she took on the Wicked Witch, but her own symbolic death occurs when she wakes in Kansas from a death-like sleep. Jelindel has one final battle with the almost omnipotent mailshirt entity, and nearly loses, but narrowly manages to stop it winning.

This stage reminds me of horror movies where the heroes embrace one another, say on the boat in Anaconda, after the villain has been knocked on the head and dumped overboard. Just when you think it’s all over, the villain’s hand leaps from the water, he drags himself back on board, and the fight resumes as though the villain never received an injury.

12. RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR/TREASURE

The Hero comes home ─ though ‘home’ may have changed due to what has happened throughout the story and in the resurrection stage. With them, the Hero brings back the treasure, the elixir, the magical device, the special knowledge that is needed, or restores peace (for the time being) as in Star Wars. [The elixir may also be love, freedom, wisdom, etc.] In LOTR, Frodo brings back an ‘absence’ ─ the ring has been destroyed. This absence is symbolised by his missing finger, bitten off by Gollum who then fell into the furnaces of Mount Doom with it. By his struggles Frodo has saved Middle Earth and his beloved Shire, though not for himself and it is a bittersweet ending for him. Cinderella marries her prince and lives happily ever after, no longer a lowly servant. Harry wakes in hospital and is a hero. He now knows that his parents had loved him, and returns ‘home’ with photos of them. Dorothy learns that home is where it always was, in Kansas with her Aunt Em who really does love her. Like Frodo, Jelindel has saved the world from a terrible evil, but at great cost to herself and others. She has lost her family and had to grow up really fast. She cares about her companions but banishes them to a paraworld. It’s the best choice she can make at that time.

In summary:

1) Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where
2) they receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE
3) They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but
4) are encouraged by a MENTOR (taking on the added role of the HERALD) to
5) CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World where
6) they encounter TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES
7) They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold
8) where they endure the SUPREME ORDEAL.
9) They take possession of their REWARD and
10) are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.
11) They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and are
transformed by the experience.
12) They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the
Ordinary World.

Not all of these stages occur in every fantasy novel but they generally appear in this order (even if some are left out). The approach to the inmost cave and the subsequent facing of the ‘supreme’ ordeal is a sequence that occurs several times, growing in significance and danger each time, until the ultimate ‘supreme’ ordeal is reached (it may be worth thinking of the earlier confrontations just as ordeals, though each one is worse than the one before).

Paul’s many books for young people include series such as The Jelindel Chronicles, The Earthborn Wars, The Quentaris Chronicles and The World of Grrym in collaboration with Danny Willis. His latest book is Mole Hunt, book one in The Maximus Black Files. The trailers are available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S-eKDYqpEs and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4tTn_WXCiw.

Paul has been the recipient of the A Bertram Chandler, Aurealis, William Atheling and Peter McNamara awards and has been shortlisted for many others including the Speech Pathology, Mary Grant Bruce, Ditmar and Chronos awards.

*Paul will be in Tasmania giving writing workshops during April and May 2012. Email him at fordstr@internode.on.net if you would like him to visit your school or library. www.paulcollins.com.au

Writing Fantasy 101 by Paul Collins (part one)

2011-11-16T00:42:00.000-08:00

The most popular (read notorious) question authors get asked is: ‘Where do you get your ideas?’ I built a workshop around this theme to satisfy that question. But how to explain where ideas for fantasy novels come from? I pondered this aspect and realised that the 12 point structure of fantasy is as good a place as any to explain how authors writer humongous tomes. Yes, imagination features heavily, but once students answer the fundamental questions as espoused by the 12 points, they’re well on their way to writing their own fantasy novels. I then built a workshop around that particular theme, too.

So this is how it all works:

Fantasy Cycle

"Real Life" Cycle

Our hero's journey proceeds in stages ─ leaping from their Ordinary World out into the unknown. Eventually, they find their way back home again. During the course of the journey, our hero makes friends and meets foes who help or hinder the rite of passage: this refers to a stage in the journey of life, one that’s difficult and often traumatic, but will affect everything that comes after. The most significant rite-of-passage for humans is the transition from childhood\adolescence into adulthood. [Compare the fantasy cycle with the reality cycle that Isobelle Carmody drew for me after a Hero’s Journey workshop I gave.] Many fantasy stories attempt to emulate this journey (think Star Wars with its adolescent hero). This process is universal and happens to us all. We leave home; this is sometimes scary or exciting and can be both. We leave our ordinary world – our comfort zone, the world of our familiar childhood – to venture out into the unknown, referred to in the ‘structure’ as the Special World. In smaller ways, this journey is repeated again and again throughout our lives. This mythic journey is the underlying structure of most successful fantasy plots.

We kick off our fantasy novel in . . .

1. THE ORDINARY WORLD

This is where our story begins, the world in which the character (they’re not a hero yet!) feels comfortable, which is familiar to them. It’s also the world they are usually reluctant to leave. Frodo hates the thought of leaving the shire and is scared to do so, even though he is also excited at the same time. Cinderella’s ordinary life is spent cleaning up after her step-mother and step-sisters. Her special world is the Ball. Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone: Harry’s is a life of unhappy drudgery with his aunt, uncle and cousin. His special world is Hogwarts. The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy lives with her uncle and aunt on a farm. Her special world is The Land of Oz. Jelindel, in book #1 of my own series The Jelindel Chronicles, Dragonlinks, is anticipating a feast and playing. Her world is safe and, to her, ‘normal’.

Taking the character from their familiar world to an alien one disorients them and makes them vulnerable and adds to the drama of the situation.

2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

This is a challenge or a problem that the character can’t ignore. They are compelled to leave the ordinary world, to leave comfort and safety behind. In Star Wars, the call is Princess Leia’s holographic message to Obiwan that Luke Skywalker overhears. In Lord of the Rings, the problem that can’t be ignored ─ that can’t be hidden or destroyed ─ is the ring itself. Here Frodo ─ the keeper of the ring ─ is forced onto the first leg of his journey (not knowing where it will end). Cinderella is invited to the ball; Harry gets a flood of letters in the mail. Dorothy’s dog Toto runs off and Dorothy gives chase. Jelindel is driven from her home by assassins and the subsequent fire and must survive on the streets of D'Loom. This is the first call. The second call is when she and her companions are forced to flee D’Loom.

3. REFUSAL TO THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

The hero isn’t quite a hero yet (he/she becomes one by going on the journey) and they’re quite rightly scared to leave the known and familiar world, or to leave a lesser evil for what might be a greater one. So they refuse or drag their feet or declare their reluctance or happily sleep in like Bilbo in The Hobbit. Luke in Star Wars refuses and actually goes home but then discovers his family has been murdered. Frodo begs Gandalf for time and expresses reluctance. Our protagonist resists the call. Cinderella says, ‘But I haven’t got anything to wear!’ Harry, with a twist to the theme, doesn’t refuse the call to adventure; the Dursleys do it for him. Dorothy runs away from home because she doesn’t want to grow up. Everything has been destroyed so Jelindel has no reason to refuse. She needs the adventure on some level ─ to come into her own.

Again, this is something that every reader and viewer can relate to. The universal fear of the unknown.

4. THE MENTOR (THE WISE OLD MAN OR WOMAN)

This is one of the most important roles in the story and one that occurs early. A wise old man or woman ─ Merlin, Gandalf, Obiwan, Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz ─ is introduced and offers the hero guidance and help for the journey and often gives them some powerful or magical device (Obiwan gives Luke his father’s light sabre; Cinderella’s fairy godmother sends her to the Ball. Hagrid is Harry’s mentor (Dumbledore is often mistaken as Harry’s mentor). Hagrid tells Harry that he’s a wizard and takes him shopping for supplies. Professor Marvel tells Dorothy she is loved and sends her off to find home. Glinda gives Dorothy the ruby slippers that will later get her home again) Jelindel meets Zimak who teaches her kick-fist. The spells at the Temple of verity also help her. Zimak is also a trickster, an archetype found in fantasy.

The mentor’s main aim is to give our future heroes good advice – which the hero sometimes ignores, to their near peril. This relationship between hero and mentor represents a fundamental and universal relationship in human societies and human history: that between parent and child, teacher and student, the old and the new, the past and the future (and how to bridge them). Often the Mentor may be combined with another role, that of getting the Hero started on his/her journey, of bolstering their courage or simply by putting the fear of God into them at what will happen if they don’t undertake the adventure. The Mentor usually doesn’t complete the journey with the Hero since they must do this on their own, proving themselves by doing so.

5. CROSSING THE FIRST THRESHOLD (boundary)

This is the first step upon the road the hero must embark upon. It may take the form of setting out on the journey or dealing with the problem in some fashion (though it will turn out not to be a final solution and the problem will usually return but by this time it will be much bigger and more dangerous).

Luke goes with Obiwan to Mos Eisley and Frodo leaves the Shire. Cinderella travels to the Ball in her magical pumpkin carriage Harry passes through the brick wall at Platform 9 ¾ and steps into the wizard world via the Hogwarts Express. Dorothy travels to Oz via a tornado. Jelindel crosses this boundary when she decides to go after the dragonlinks.

The story now enters a new territory. Here, old skills or knowledge may no longer be useful but fundamentals such as loyalty, bravery and integrity will prove to be lifesavers.

6. TESTS, ALLIES & ENEMIES

The Hero meets difficulties that test his or her strength and commitment. At this point they are usually not huge tests, but they will grow as the journey develops. In the process they will also enlist the help of allies (who may become permanent companions) and they may make enemies. Frodo ─ along with Sam, Pippin and Merry ─ have their first near misses with the dreaded Black Riders and only narrowly escape them. In the process Frodo is strongly tempted to put on the ring, an action that would bring instant doom to him and his companions, but he manages to pass this test. Cinderella’s enemies are her ‘family’, and an unexpected ally is the fairy godmother and prince. Part of her test is not being recognised by her hateful step-mother and step-sisters and in not becoming so caught up in all the wonder and riches of the Ball that she forgets the time. Harry’s news friends are Ron and Hermione; his enemies are Malfoy, Goyle and Crabbe ─ although these are underlings to Harry’s main foe, Lord Voldemort. His tests are many: the sorting hat, moving stairways, Quidditch. Dorothy makes friends with the Scarecrow and Tinman, and later the lion and learns of the Wicked Witch. Jelindel survives various dangers and adversaries, learns more about her companions, becoming friends to some extent, and finds the map to the other links.

This is also the section where we start to learn about the Hero (and their companions and adversaries) by seeing how they deal with the challenges and tests (such as the fights and negotiations in the cantina in Star Wars). This section may take up a large part of the book or the film.

Look out for Part Two of Paul's post next week!

Paul’s many books for young people include series such as The Jelindel Chronicles, The Earthborn Wars, The Quentaris Chronicles and The World of Grrym in collaboration with Danny Willis. His latest book is Mole Hunt, book one in The Maximus Black Files. The trailers are available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S-eKDYqpEs and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4tTn_WXCiw.

*Paul will be in Tasmania giving writing workshops during April and May 2012. Email him at fordstr@internode.on.net if you would like him to visit your school or library. www.paulcollins.com.au

Discovering Peter Gouldthorpe - by Patsy Jones

2011-11-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

Scientific interest in the Antarctic and Arctic areas was strong in the first years of the twentieth century, with expeditions mounted to attempt to reach both poles.

The British National Antarctic Expedition of 1901, led by Robert Falcon Scott, was forced to return in 1904 having been unsuccessful in the attempt to reach the South Pole. A United States expedition under Robert Peary’s leadership reached the North Pole in 1909, but Peary’s claim to have been the first person to reach the North Pole is not universally accepted.

Then on November 1, 1911, a few days over a hundred years ago, Robert Scott’s ill-fated second expedition to the South Pole set out overland for the Pole, having spent most of that year at their base at Cape Evans.

Peter Gouldthorpe’s latest work, No return : Captain Scott’s race to the Pole, recently published, tells the story of this expedition, accompanied by many full-page illustrations in Peter’s realistic style. Enjoying it reminded me of other work of his, so I spent some time recently revisiting these particular landmarks in Hobart and in Oatlands.

The Oatlands Community Library, which shares the premises of the Oatlands District High School, has an amazing collection of Peter’s work – for any of you planning to visit Oatlands, please ensure you will be there when the library is open (2.00pm – 5.00 pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 10.00am -1.00pm Friday) so you can call in and visit this display.

The material in the library actually consists of some faux books attached to one wall in the library – very realistic indeed, and some even interactive! The Callington Mill at Oatlands is well worth a visit too, while you’re there.

His other works in public display are the trompe l’oeil murals in North Hobart (on the veterinary surgery on the corner of Tasma and Elizabeth Streets, and in Tony Haigh Walk, off Elizabeth Street) and in South Hobart (on a warehouse wall at the bottom of Denison Lane, off Macquarie Street). Perhaps you could arrange a class or family visit to a few of these places and tie it in with polar exploration, Peter’s published books, or just as an enjoyable excursion.

I have often wondered at the story/stories behind all this fascinating public art – can anyone enlighten me? And I wonder if the Hobart City Council has acted to preserve the Hobart examples?

Bulging Bookshelves! Book expert Maureen Mann talks shelf-purging & discovers some new favourites!

2011-10-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

I’ve spent quite some time recently looking at my own collection of books, and making decisions about which one will remain on my shelves. I do it every few years as the collection begins to spill out of the confines of our bookshelves, and each time go through the same angst over the process. I am one of those people who rarely re-reads a book, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that there are some books which I want to have at home. I may not remember the specifics of many of the titles, but I do remember my reaction to each one. I remember the reactions to the very bad, as well as to the brilliant. And so, through the process I have dipped in and out of a few titles. Almost each time I have had my positive impression reinforced. Occasionally I change my mind. So, the discard pile grows, giving me more room for new titles to come.

Do you go through your bookshelves regularly? Do you keep everything, or do you pass on loved books so others can enjoy them too?

So what new (to me) books have I been reading?

Frank Cottrell Boyce has written Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, the first in a series of sequels to Ian Fleming’s only children’s story. Boyce is the author of the very successful Millions and Cosmic. The Tooting family set off on a life-changing adventure in their campervan which has been modified by adding a huge old engine that was once in an amazing car. This is a story for children of all ages – the ones who remember the original story and/or film, as well as the ones being introduced to the magic for the first time.

Have you been a fan of Ann Brashares’ series which started with The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants? Well, the fifth and final in the series has recently been published. Titled Sisterhood Everlasting, it traces the lives of the girls ten years on, after they have moved apart. Each feels that life is no longer as fulfilling as it had been. Tibby bridges the distance between them but it’s not a happily-ever-after ending. The book sometimes grabs the reader and at other times it’s more of a chore, but for those who have come of age with these characters, you’re sure to want to know what happens.

As always, I’ve also been enjoying several picture books, not all of them recent publications. I came across Mike Dumbleton’s Muddled Up Farm (2003). Why didn’t I know about it earlier? Sadly, it is out of stock, so we have to hope that it might be reprinted. The animals make lots of noise, but not the noises we expect. The farm inspector tries to correct things, but the changes aren’t quite what he intended.

In Jeanne Willis’s Stomp(2011), the blue monster stomps through various rooms in the house, making lots of noise till he finds what he’s looking for. And again, it’s not quite what we expect. The illustrations use primary colours and the text is repetitive and child-friendly. Good fun!

Pete the Cat (by Eric Litwin and James Dean, 2010) with his white shoes sings along his way, “I love my white shoes, I love my white shoes …” But then he steps into a huge pile of strawberries and now has red shoes. There are no tears, the song changes and Pete goes on his way. Because of various accidents, his shoe colours change and each time Pete modifies his song, maintaining his positive outlook on life.

Perfect Square (2011) by Michael Hall is another book using primary colours, but otherwise a different concept. On each double page spread, a square is transformed by changing its format – holes punched, torn, cut, etc – and a new creation appears. It leads children to want to experiment with a piece of square paper and their own imagination. A great addition to early years mathematical concepts.

Please share some of your recent favourites. And let us know how you cope with bulging bookshelves.

The Other Cup That Stops the Nation - Maureen's Readers Cup Wrap-up!

2011-10-18T15:26:00.001-07:00

Reader's Cup - Book Club just got cool!

Congratulations to all schools involved in his year’s Southern Tasmanian Readers’ Cup. Finals for this competition have been held, for southern schools, over the past two Wednesdays in Hobart: the first for grade 5/6 students and the second for grade 7/8 students. As always, the standard of the students was fantastic, both in their knowledge of the books and in their creativity and there were wonderful contributions from all involved. I’ve had the great pleasure of coordinating the challenge this year and we had 2 wonderful days of competition.

Readers’ Cup was introduced into South Australia by Judy Styles in 1987 after a trip to the USA and the concept has spread to several Australian states. It is a competition in which teams of school students read a set of books, which varies each year, and then compete against each other, based on their knowledge and interpretation of the books. The aim of Readers’ Cup is to encourage all children – not just ‘good readers’ – to read, and to enjoy what they read. It is also a way to reward enthusiastic readers in the context of a team activity.

There are wider benefits as well. Readers' Cup:

encourages reading, not only among competitors
is a visible way to promote and recognise reading and children’s literature
creates a competitive framework for those who enjoy reading
provides non-sporting inter-school competition
encourages insightful reflection about literature
focuses on student achievement
provides inter-school communication and interaction
is fun!

Tasmania has an extra element which we believe expands the benefits of the competition. It evolved years ago when Tasmania was modifying the curriculum. One of the major focuses then was on thinking skills. It was decided that Readers’ Cup didn’t give students the opportunity to demonstrate their deep understanding of the themes and issues of any of the books. So we introduced a ‘creative element’ in which each team interprets, using a format chosen by them, an aspect or aspects of one or more of the books and presents their interpretation to an audience. Each presentation is expected to last a maximum of five minutes.

The presentations included the use of PowerPoint, plays and movies written by the students, songs and dance. We had 3 judges for each of the finals and thanks go to them for giving up their time and enthusiasm. Thanks also go to our MC for both events, who was able to fit Readers’ Cup in between his university tutorials. The adults involved enjoyed things as much as did the students.

We had six schools register for each level of the event, but unfortunately one of the secondary schools had to withdraw at the last minute. We’d love to have more involvement in 2012 so keep your eyes and ears open for the notification about the preliminary meeting early in term 1. It’s usually held in March. (Readers’ Cup is also alive well in other parts of the state but is run by ASLA).

So, after all that information, who won? Congratulations go to Princes Street Primary School and the Fahan School, in the secondary section. But all those who competed, whether they were the teams in individual schools who didn’t make the cut for the inter-school competition or the ones who came to the finals, gained a great deal from their reading, their team spirit and the fun they had through the process.

Information about the books used in the 2011 Southern Schools Readers Cup competition can be found on the CBCA (Tasmania) website: www.cbcatas.org. Early in 2012 the Guidelines for next years’ Readers’ Cup will be posted here too.

Just before I finish. In my last blog back in August, I talked about the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, administered by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. The winner was announced at the beginning of October and congratulations go to I Know Here by Laurel Croza.

Happy reading and see you next time.

The Other Cup That Stops the Nation - Maureen's Reader's Cup Wrap-up!

2011-10-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

Reader's Cup - Book Club just got cool!

There are wider benefits as well. Readers' Cup:

encourages reading, not only among competitors
is a visible way to promote and recognise reading and children’s literature
creates a competitive framework for those who enjoy reading
provides non-sporting inter-school competition
encourages insightful reflection about literature
focuses on student achievement
provides inter-school communication and interaction
is fun!

Happy reading and see you next time.

Popular versus "literary" - where do you stand?

2011-10-11T15:45:00.000-07:00

I used to work in the children's section of an independent book shop. I made it my duty to read just about every children's book that hit the shelves, so I could knowledgeably recommend the books to both children and parents.

Some days, I wondered why I bothered.

Parents (and grandparents) would come up to me and ask for recommendations for birthday presents or occasional gifts. "She's fifteen," they'd say. "What do you recommend for a fifteen year old?"

That question in itself always made me cringe. As if all fifteen year olds are the same and enjoy reading exactly the same kind of book! But I was used to this question. I was used to having to dig a little bit deeper. So I'd ask, "Do you know what other books they've read and enjoyed?"

Often this question would get met with a blank look, or a look of aggravation - like why was I annoying them with all these questions? Why couldn't I just pick a book off the shelf and give it to them? Why was I wasting their time? If the parent did answer the question with any degree of certainty, at least fifty percent of the time the answer went something along the lines of, "Well, she liked that [insert name of popular book of the moment] book. But I don't want her reading stuff like that. I want her reading 'good books'."

At this point my soul would die a little bit.

For me, reading is pleasure. It's entertainment. Like the great Jacqueline Wilson said (and I'm paraphrasing enormously here) when asked how parents should go about getting their children to read: "Don't tell them they have to get off their computer or their video games and go and read. Don't make it sound like a punishment. Surround them with books from an early age. Set an example by reading yourself and showing them that reading is fun."

Reading is fun. And rewarding. And life-changing. And who know, parents? That [popular book] you were so quick to dismiss could well be the book that allows your child to cope with bullying - a role the very popular Tamora Pierce books had in my life - or turn them on to reading hundreds of other books and starting a lifelong love of reading. Harry Potter did this for millions of children. And I lost count of the number of teenagers who'd come into my old workplace saying "I just read Twilight. I love reading now. What else would you recommend?"

I'd take absolute pleasure in recommending a Maggie Stiefvater or a Claudia Gray or, if they were older, the delicious Gail Carriger Alexia Tarabotti series, or even (if I got the feeling they might be into it), Justine Larbalestier's incredible Liar. If they were ready to move on from vampires (but really, why should they have to?), we'd chat about the superlative John Green, or the wickedly funny and incisive Libba Bray or Scott Westerfeld or, if they were after a bit of action and suspense, maybe some Chris Morphew or even the gut-wrenching (and, yes, incredibly popular) Hunger Games series.

The kids who came into my workplace after having read Twilight were so excited about reading; so switched on; so open to new ideas, new genres, the new worlds that reading could give them.

The parents? Half the time they were the same. Half the time they just wanted their kids to read and they were happy to discuss their child's reading with me and work with me to find a book they'd actually enjoy. The other half? Notsomuch. "Is that about vampires? No thanks. That's popular rubbish, isn't it? Don't you have any Enid Blyton?"

As a side issue, my favourite comment was a common one, often from grandparents who, after I showed them piles of brilliant new kids' books, would say, "They all look a bit dark and violent. Do you have any Roald Dahl?"

I'll leave that one with you.

Back to the popular versus literary argument - or "bad books" versus "good books", if you like. I once had a brilliant conversation with a hugely popular bestselling Australian author of teen science fiction action bestsellers who told me that he didn't care if he never won an award because the main thing was that kids loved his books and that he made a difference to them, not the adults who judged children's book awards. I guess it leads to the question: Why does it have to be one or the other? Why can't he be hugely popular and win awards, because he writes books kids want to read? Surely that's the ultimate goal?

I watched "Compass" on Sunday night and had to smirk when Geraldine Doogue introduced Christos Tsiolkas as the writer of "that rarest of things: the literary bestseller." I also rolled my eyes when listening to a podcast by the (I think) wonderful Anita Shreeve who talked about the numerous newspapers who condescendingly called her books "not quite literary" and was then thrilled at all the men in her Wheeler Centre talk who stood up and "outed" themselves as readers of her supposed "women's novels".

Why shouldn't men read women's novels?

Why shouldn't science fiction books be shelved in the literary section and (my personal bugbear) books by literary writers that are blatantly science fiction or fantasy (I'm talking to you, Margaret Atwood and Jeanette Winterson) be shelved in speculative fiction? This literary snobbery might be useful in some circles but most of us just want to read. We want it to be pleasurable, not hard work. Kids especially. And you never know, if you let them read anything (within, of course, the bounds of your personal morality) - like Christos Tsiolkas' non-English-speaking father did when he bought him Mills and Boon and Charles Dickens and all manner of other random books because he had no idea what the titles meant - they just might chance upon a few "literary" books along the way.

Reading shouldn't be a chore. I'm as happy reading the latest Joanna Trollope as I am reading Anthony Trollope (and, you know, he was pretty "popular" back in the day); as happy reading Martin Amis as I am reading Ann M Martin.

Every single author I've heard speak has said they read voraciously on a range of subjects. Popular and "literary". Wide reading means open minds and - to use Tsiolkas' own terminology - "free thinkers".

If only free thinking was more "popular".

What do you think? What's more important: that kids love reading or that they read books with "literary merit" (prepared for healthy debate here)!

How my heroes are changing - by CBCA judge, Jenni Connor

2011-09-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

I grew up on Detective fiction really, devouring every Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham in my youth and becoming addicted to the pantheon of Elizabeth George, PD James and Ruth Rendell as they came on the scene. The very early ‘lady writers’ invariably created an elegant, dignified gentleman as their brilliant crime solver. Lord Peter Wimsey, Inspector Alleyn and Albert Campion (not to mention Christie’s indubitable Poirot) used their incisive wit and extraordinary minds to seek out and destroy the most cunning villain and restore polite society to its rightful balance.

Have you read any of these recently? I have a friend in London who re-reads them all, regularly. I don’t know how she can bear to; the style now seems infuriatingly archaic, posturing and lacking in reality.
The same cannot be said for contemporary masters of the genre!

For 20 years, Ian Rankin took his tough, hard drinking cop, Detective Inspector Rebus, into Edinburg’s grimy underbelly – where he felt perfectly at home. Rankin describes his influences as Robert Louis Stevenson and the Gothic tradition which leads him to explore the Jekyll and Hyde qualities of a contemporary urban environment. I imagine I wasn’t the only devotee to mourn Rebus’ departure in Exit Music.

All of this grimness, of course, paled into insignificance when Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy burst on the scene, with Lisbeth Salander possibly the most oppressed and indomitable heroine of contemporary fiction.

Having relished the trilogy, like many fellow addicts, I turned to Jo Nesbo for another take on the Nordic landscape and culture. The Snowman (2010) made Nesbo’s name when it won the prestigious Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel – joining Larsson and Henning Mankell in the illustrious list of recipients.

Recently, I tackled The Redbreast (2006), an ambitious and complex novel that spans from the Second World War to the present day. It delves deep into an unpalatable past, when Norwegian troops collaborated with Nazi Germany and fought for Hitler on the Eastern front. In the novel, surviving soldiers are being murdered one by one, and Harry Hole, a good, but troubled cop in the Olso Crime Squad has to stay off the grog long enough to bring matters to a close. There’s a rich palette of characters and the constant switching between the two time zones means it’s wise to keep a list of Dramatis Personae handy. Dedicated readers of the genre will find much to enjoy as well as much to mull over about old wounds, old debts and the grey areas of morality.

Then, a knowledgeable bookseller where I was travelling (don’t you love them?) recommended another Nordic writer – Camilla Lakberg –‘The hottest female writer in Sweden at the moment’ as the cover screams. Interestingly, the novel, The Hidden Child, also deals with a terrible secret from the darkest days of WW11. While the plot is intriguing, the characterisation is slightly stereotyped; the novel may have suffered in translation. There is almost a surfeit of ‘detectives’, including a young policewoman who is in a gay relationship whose partner is having a child through IVF, and a male detective who is on Paternity Leave.

We’ve certainly come a long way from an entertaining effete little man twirling his moustache!

* Who are your literary heroes? Have they changed over time?

Imagination Takes Flight!

2011-09-21T15:58:00.000-07:00

Before our newsletter officer, Penny Garnsworthy, flew away to the other side of the world, she filled us in on a couple of books that made her mind travel to new and wondrous places!

I’m still on the adventure of catching up on my reading books for young people, and I've just finished two amazing books for young adults.

Mara, Daughter of the Nile was written by American author Eloise Jarvis McGraw in 1963. It is the story of a slave girl in ancient Egypt who gets herself involved in both sides of the political argument surrounding Hatshepsut and her brother Thutmose. The novel was brilliantly researched (I learned more about life in Egypt reading it than much of the non-fiction I have read over the years) and beautifully written with just the right amounts of romance, intrigue, adventure and suspense. And it has a typical happy ending. I guess you’d say it’s an old fashioned type of book.

By comparison, Triple Ripple was written by Australian author Brigid Lowry in 2011. It is three stories in one: the fairytale set in a typical fairytale setting; the reader’s story as she reads the fairytale; and the writer’s story as she writes it. The premise has been well thought out and this results in a story that’s quirky and fun and at times, very, very different. And it doesn’t have a 'typical' happy ending.

I guess you’d say it’s a modern, contemporary tale.

I just can’t imagine two books for the same age group being such poles apart (and 48 years). And yet I loved them both. I loved the descriptions of the settings, the characters and their respective issues, and I learned a lot about people and places I didn’t previously know.

Just goes to show that books are an enduring medium. And whether they’re a hardcover, a paperback or an electronic file I’ll still be reading them for many years to come!

Have a great trip, Penny! We'll miss you but we know you'll come back with lots of wonderful stories!

What have you been reading lately that's made your imagination take a journey?

Want to be the Tasmanian judge for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards?

2011-09-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

Applications are invited for the Tasmanian representative on the interstate judging panel for the 2013 and 2014 CBCA Book of the Year Awards.

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (Tasmanian Branch) Inc. invites applications for the honorary position of CBCA Book of the Year Awards Judge representing Tasmania on the National Awards Judging Panel for the 2012 and 2013 CBCA Book of the Year Awards. Reading commences in May 2012.

Selection Criteria:

· Recognised standing and qualifications in the field of children’s literature

· Wide and recent knowledge of children’s literature, especially Australian children’s literature

· Awareness of illustration techniques, design, editing, printing and production processes

· Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Eligibility for serving as a judge:

Those seeking the position as Tasmanian judge must be current financial members of The Children’s Book Council of Australia (Tasmanian Branch) Inc.

A person with a current vested interest in the Awards may not be a judge. Examples include authors, illustrators, book editors and publishers.

Notes

Judges are appointed for a two-year term.

The reading period extends from approximately May till February. Reports on each book are compiled and circulated and discussed via email and teleconferences with other members of the panel during this time.

Between the end of February and the Short List announcement, judges prepare for the five-day Judges’ Conference in late March/early April, by rereading and refining potential shortlists. All judges attend the Judges’ Conference at which short lists, honour books and winners of the Awards are decided.

The Tasmanian judge is also expected to promote the Awards in the Tasmanian community, to write brief reports for the newsletter, and to contribute to the compilation of Notable Australian Children’s Books.

Detailed information of the process, role and responsibility can be found in the wards handbook section on the CBCA websitehttp://cbca.org.au/publisherinfo.htm - go to - Judges role and responsibilities

If you wish to apply for this position, please send a letter outlining your interest and addressing the selection criteria to The President, CBCA (Tas Inc.), PO Box 113, MOONAH 7009.

If you wish to send an application in electronic form, or require any further information, please contact the Secretary through the CBCA (TAS) website to be provided with an email address.

Applications close on 30 September.

To PD nor not to PD by CBCA Tas secretary and bookshop worker, Nella Pickup

2011-09-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks I’ve had some interesting PD opportunities.

Recently Carol Fuller & I attended a lecture by Professor Len Unsworth “The literacies of image and languages and the new national English curriculum”. I wasn’t sure what to expect – education speak and great long ugly words – yes, they were there in abundance but also an explanation/exploration of the visual choices authors make.

As with all PD, you must practise what you’ve learned. I’ve unsuccessfully tried to read graphic novels in the past. So I read an illustrated book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brain Selznick (Scholastic 2007). When first published, this was a ground breaking book - a unique work of art, of spare text, and of sheer imagination. The illustrations are essential to the story. Four years later, it’s still an exceptionally good read.

Next PD was to attend Ellen Forsyth’s Connecting with people: Twitter reading groups, scenarios for the future of public libraries and games. I’d heard Ellen speak at other sessions. She’s entertaining and energetic. Luddite that I am, I just don’t get why people would waste good reading time to twitter about the books they’ve read. ***

Then some professional reading. An article about what’s on your bedside table made me reflect about the books I’ve just been reading. Then I read one of Will Manley’s discussions about weeding. “When you are weeding your collection, forget the printout that the head of circulation gives you. Circulation statistics do not tell the whole story.... Why don’t you start by looking for food stains? Books with food stains are so good their readers could not put them down even while eating.”

So here are my bedside table’s recent highlights and their food stain ratings.

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan. Macmillan October 2011 ...

... is a toast burner i.e. you become so engrossed in the well crafted, sometimes blood chilling story, you forget about everything around you.

This is a page turning science fiction adventure thriller – first of the Sky Chasers series. Told through the alternating narratives of the kidnapped Waverley and Kieran, the victim of a Lord of the Flies style mutiny, it examines many important issues - survival, religion, politics, right versus might, the inviolability of the individual versus the needs of the whole community, the role of the charismatic leader and mob mentality.

The characterisation is brilliant – the villainous Anne Mather - grandmotherly, disarmingly sweet, until someone crosses her; Waverley - strong and steely character; Kiernan starts out as a cardboard cut-out hero (all dull and superior) but develops into a complex and broken young man; underdog and seemingly villainous Seth Ardvale is caught in a love triangle.

Pod by Stephen Wallenfels Allen & Unwin July 2011

Food stains of great variety until you get to the Bathtub Man scene.

Another dystopian thriller. For 28 days giant spinning balls fill the sky. They kill anyone who goes outside. Josh (16 years old) and his obsessive compulsive dad are at home in suburban Washington; Megs, a 12 year old who lives in the back of a car with her mother, is trapped inside a multi storey car park. Food and water are running out – how will they survive?

Shift by Em Bailey Hardie Grant September 2011

Sorry – no food rating – too much of a roller coaster ride to eat.

Olive is a self imposed outsider with one friend: Ami. Olive watches the new girl, Miranda develop an unhealthy obsession with Olive’s former best friend Katie. As Miranda begins to resemble Katie, Olive becomes suspicious and believes Miranda is a shape-shifter – sucking the life from people and then moving on. But is Olive a reliable narrator? She fears the ocean, blames herself for her parents’ divorce, and talks cryptically about her past.

A mystery within a mystery shifting between psychological and paranormal, sinister and supernatural, horror and romance.

Straight Line to my Heart by Bill Condon. Allen & Unwin August 2011

Coffee, chocolate and (happy) tear stains.

A wonderful story about growing up and going with the flow. Tiff has just finished school. Work experience at the local newspaper is not what she expected. Her life is filled with iconic Aussie characters, tough Reggie and his policeman son Bull, best friend Kayla, interview candidate Clarence a 98 year old centenarian (read the book) and the awkward goofy yet lovable Davey.

And last but not least – a picture book.

The Carrum Sailing Club by Claire Saxby & Christina Booth. Windy Hollow September 2011

No food stains on my picture books! But if there were, they’d be melted icy pole drips and sandy sandwich crumbs. A glorious celebration of summer at the beach.

*** As an avid Twitterer who sees reading as a sharing, communal experience as much as a personal one, and Twitter as a wonderful medium for connecting with other avid booky tweeps, website officer Kate Gordon wonders what other CBCA members think about the sharing of booky love via social media. And don't forget you can follow the Tasmanian CBCA branch on www.twitter.com/CBCATas!

Squeezing in some reading - Carol Fuller blogs on books she's read and enjoyed

2011-09-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

In between travelling from Smithton to Dover, talking to parents about how to choose good books for children I have managed to read some books, both children’s and adults. Thought you might like to hear about some.

‘Trouble Twisters’, by Garth Nix and Sean Williams published by Allen & Unwin is a fairly new one. If you have read Sean William’s ‘The Changeling’, the voices in this joint writing effort will probably ring bells and resonate with you. Sean Williams seems to like voices that speak inside the protagonist’s head and the device worked really well in ‘The Changeling’ series.

'Trouble Twisters' seems set for a younger audience more in keeping with the audience of Nix’s previous series which used the days of the week as its guiding and naming gambit. Personally I preferred William’s series for older readers but the partnership has not gone to waste.

The Trouble Twisters, Jack and Jaide will appeal to that horde of youngsters who love magic, fantasy, a quest and the traditional good versus evil theme. But I can’t help thinking, “I’ve read all this before.” There is a slightly new approach when the twins start to think that in fact their grandmother is the evil they must defeat and this as it happens is almost their undoing. The twins and the reader are kept in the dark about the real facts about the Family until a good way into the story, hereby creating a niggling desire to keep reading just to find out. One almost reaches the point of exasperation! Just what is going on?

Even at the end of the book, obviously the first in the series, there are many questions still to be answered.

Coincidently the next two books I read were for older readers, Sonya Hartnett’s ‘The Midnight Zoo’ and Cath Crawley’s, ‘Graffiti Moon’. That’s right, both featured very highly in the Book of the Year awards. Was this a spooky premonition on my part that I choose these? Don’t know, but I can certainly see why they were up there. I loved ‘The Midnight Zoo’ with its post-apocalyptic setting and the unusual part reality, part fantasy characters of the animals. The video of the story that ran through my head as I read was very dark and shadowy and it was impossible to predict what was going to happen. I think 'gripping' might be an appropriate adjective. ‘Graffiti Moon’ is also a dark book in that it is set at night, but this time the reader knows more than the characters about what might happen, it’s just a matter of when and if and how. Having observed graffiti art all over the world; on train carriages and railway walls all through Europe and our own local contributions in Royal Park, I’ve always wondered if this stuff is art or trash. After this novel I believe I gained an extra insight into and an appreciation of this aspect of youth culture.

Squeezing in a couple of adult books; I read Jodi Picoult’s ‘Nineteen Minutes’ and Steve Conte’s ‘The Zoo Keeper’s War’. There seems to have been a thread there with war and zoos and young people and relationships. These are all quite different books but I enjoyed them all and gained new information about the effects of bullying and what happens to animals in war time amongst other things. That’s a good eclectic mix for you.

Sally Sara’s, ‘Gogo, Mama’, is another book I would recommend to older readers and adults. I can’t say it is an enjoyable book in that it describes the incredible abuse and injustices perpetrated on females in African cultures even as I write. The book, published in about 2007, features Sally’s interviews with 12 women from different African countries. We are given a fascinating insight into their lives, their courage, and their incredible capacity to survive and flourish despite suffering such enormities as female circumcision, slavery, HIV and the Rwandan and other wars that seem to plague that continent. How lucky we are to live in Australia! And how lucky are we to have so many diverse books to read and enjoy.

What have you been reading and enjoying lately?

I guess ‘controversy sells?’ - by CBCA judge Jenni Connor

2011-08-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Christopher Bantick, in the Mercury 23 August, went into quite a rant about the CBCA judges selecting Nicki Greenwood’s Hamlet as joint winner of the Picture Book of the Year category. Bantick’s burning concerns were two-fold:

that ‘new mums’ (a patronising term I wouldn’t have used) might somehow take the CBCA sticker as a global mark of ‘quality’ and choose Hamlet for their newborn baby;
that ‘the once sacrosanct world of children’s books where the good guys always won, animals talked, possums ate lamingtons and princes and princesses fell in love, has been appropriated ... by hard core peddlers of violence, sex, incest, suicide and family dysfunctionalism’ (Shakespeare, of course, DOES deal with all of the above and I’m not sure devotees would take kindly to him being described as a ‘hard core peddler’)

In the first instance: ‘mums’, as the Mercury headline to my letter points out, are ‘not that silly’. They are not going to pick an enormous, visually complex & expensive tome off the shelf, flick through it and conclude that ‘baby might like this’. They will go to the picture book shelves and/or seek the advice of a good bookseller. Or they might refer to the CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood list, from which they will find a wealth of suitable titles, including Lester’s Noni the Pony and Niland’s It’s Bedtime William as well as the very deserving Winner and Honour Books in that category. My absolute favourite is Maudie and Bear, by Jan Omerod and Freya Blackwood.

Secondly, CBCA does badge its categories for the Awards and the Picture Book category clearly states ‘Some books may be for mature readers’.

Bantick is obviously out of touch with developments over at least the last ten years, in which ‘picture books’ have broadened from ‘books for the very young’ to include sophisticated works in which literary and artistic unity is achieved, and which are worthy of serious study by young people in secondary schooling. Hence the establishment of two categories – ‘Early Childhood’ and ‘Picture Book Award’.

Perhaps the image accompanying Bantick’s article gives us a clue – although, to be fair, he may not have chosen it. The image is of a delightfully privileged-looking mother, with two squeaky clean blonde children, reading a book from the Moomintroll series published in Finland and Sweden. Moomintroll is beloved worldwide but it’s an odd choice for an article castigating the Children’s Book Council of Australia (also, note from Kate, I wonder if Bantick has seen this wonderful blog post about sexuality in the Moomintroll series http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/05/tove-jaanson-out-of-the-closet).

The merits of Hamlet, the graphic novel for adolescents and beyond, can and should be debated. Debate about books for children and young people is healthy and informed choice is very much encouraged.
But, it really does pay to get on top of your subject matter before you attack an organisation as prestigious and hard-working as the Children’s Book Council.

And the winner is ...

2011-08-19T02:10:00.000-07:00

... and so do the CBCA judges after another tough year!

Another year, another list, and from that list an even smaller list of booky awesomeness. Book lovers watch the CBCA Award announcement with keen little owl eyes, and it always provokes its shares of contention and controversy. Here are this year's winners and honour books:

Older Readers Book of the Year 2011

NOTE: These books may be for mature readers

WINNER Hartnett, Sonya – The Midnight Zoo, Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)

HONOUR Crowley, Cath – Graffiti Moon, Pan Macmillan Australia

HONOUR MacLeod, Doug – The Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher, Penguin Books, Penguin Group (Australia)

Younger Readers Book of the Year 2011

NOTE: These books are intended for independent younger readers

WINNER Carmody, Isobelle – The Red Wind, Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)

HONOUR Bauer, Michael Gerard – Just a Dog, Omnibus Books, Scholastic Australia

HONOUR Branford, Anna, Illus: Davis, Sarah – Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot, Walker Books

Early Childhood Book of the Year 2011

NOTE: Intended for children in the pre-reading to early reading stages

WINNER Ormerod, Jan, Illus: Blackwood, Freya – Maudie and Bear, Little Hare Books

HONOUR Champion, Tom Niland & Niland, Kilmeny, Illus: Niland, Deborah, The Tall Man and the Twelve Babies, Allen & Unwin

HONOUR Norrington, Leonie, Illus: Huxley, Dee – Look See, Look at Me, Allen & Unwin

Picture Book of the Year 2011

NOTE: Intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years. Some books may be for mature readers

JOINT WINNER Baker, Jeannie – Mirror, Walker Books

JOINT WINNER Greenberg, Nicki – Hamlet, Allen & Unwin

HONOUR Bancroft, Bronwyn – Why I Love Australia, Little Hare Books

HONOUR Riddle, Tohby – My Uncle's Donkey, Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)

Eve Pownall Book of the Year 2011

NOTE: Intended for an audience ranging from birth to 18 years. Some books may be for mature readers

WINNER Ursula Dubosarsky, Illus: Riddle, Tohby - The Return of the Word Spy, Viking Books, Penguin Group (Australia)

HONOUR Brooks, Ron – Drawn From the Heart: A Memoir, Allen & Unwin

HONOUR One Arm Point Remote Community School – Our World: Bardi Jaawi: Life at Ardiyooloon, Magabala Books

Now, it's over to you! What do YOU think of this year's list? Let us know. We love a bit of debate and controversy!!!

The CBCA Awards - a judge's perspective

2011-08-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

Don’t forget: next Friday (August 19^th at noon), the CBCA Book of the Year results will be announced, and Children’s Book Week will be underway. This is always a time of excitement and debate. Some people will think the judges have made exactly the right decision and others will wonder how our children’s book awards can be so wrong. And then of course there are those who stand somewhere in the middle. I wonder where you will be this year.

Literature is such a personal choice. What I adore today may not be what I really like tomorrow, because in that short time I have read something else which changes my outlook slightly. And we need to remember that the judges have read all the books submitted and make their decisions based on this. None of the rest of us has done this. The judges use very clearly stated criteria based on literary merit for their choices. But it is wonderful that there is discussion about the awards because that keeps the world of Australian children’s literature thriving.

You can find the short list on the Children’s Book Council of Australia website (http://cbca.org.au/Shortlist_2011.htm), so check it out if you haven’t already done so. And the criteria used by the judges can be found under Information for Publishers: http://cbca.org.au/userfiles/file/Downloads/Nat%20Site/2011/awards%20criteria.pdf .

I have recently been in Canada and spent time looking at some of their many awards given to children’s and young adult literature there. I chose my favourite genre of picture books and especially the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, administered by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. You can find details of all Canadian children’s books awards at http://www.bookcentre.ca/awards/canadian_awards_index.

The Short List for the 2011 Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award was announced June 14 and the winners will be named October 4. To be eligible, the book must

have artistic and literary unity,
be a seamless integration of text, illustrations and design,
be an original work in English (or the translation published simultaneously),
be aimed at children ages three to eight,
be written and illustrated by Canadians and first published in Canada.

The prize money is $20,000. The choices are made by a panel of three children’s literature specialists. Details of the awards can be found at http://www.bookcentre.ca/awards/marilyn_baillie_picture_book_award

And here are the shortlisted books:

I Know Here
Written by Laurel Croza, illustrated by Matt James

Groundwood Books, for ages 5-7
A young girl (first person narration) learns that her family is to move from her known rural environment to Toronto with all the worries and fears that going into the unknown produces. She shows the reader all her favourite places full of great memories, comparing the certainty of now with the uncertainty of the future. As adult readers we understand that her family are itinerant workers and this would lead to some great discussions with child readers. The illustrations are child-like and there’s good use of whitespace on the page. The endpaper maps would help all readers, but especially those from outside Canada.

In Front of My House

Written and illustrated by Marianne Dubuc. Translated by Yvette Ghione
Kids Can Press, for ages 3-7.
This circular story reflects the imagination of a child who starts by looking at her immediate environment but quickly expanding into a broader journey, the whimsical and the improbable but eventually coming home again. The format remains constant throughout the book. The right hand page includes a positional phrase. Turn the page and on the left an object is named and is illustrated opposite, with the next positional phrase below it. There is wonderful use of white space, with plenty of scope for young imaginations to create their own environment.

Singing Away the Dark

Written by Caroline Woodward, illustrated by Julie Morstad
Simply Read Books, for ages 4-8
The child narrator starts her song with the words, “When I was six and went to school, I walked a long, long way …” and then takes us on her journey through the dark and snowy woods to catch the bus. For most Australian children this winter journey is outside their experience but many will understand the worries of being alone and the fear of getting lost. This is another book with great use of white space which rests the eyes but also represents the wintry journey.

Spork written by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Kids Can Press, for ages 3-8
Spork is the child of a spoon and a fork and doesn’t quite have any of the advantages of either of his parents. He doesn’t fit in with either the various shaped forks nor the spoons, until one day a messy thing arrives and Spork is exactly what is wanted. This book is a celebration of difference and the need to fit in. I am not a great fan of anthropomorphism but in this story it works and the humour in both verbal and visual texts adds to the finished product.

Stanley’s Little Sister written by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Bill Slavin
Kids Can Press, for ages 3-7
This is the most recent of the Stanley series. When a new kitten comes into Stanley’s house, his nose is put out of joint but he tries to make friends. He hasn’t yet learned how to behave around this new sibling. Through trial and error, creating mayhem and annoying his people in the process, Stanley finally gives up trying so hard. The result is friendship and acceptance. Children will enjoy the humour in illustrations and words. For me, though, some pictures are too dark and the text placement isn’t as successful as it could be.

So which is my favourite? At the moment I’m wavering between I Know Here and In Front of My House. My three year old grandson much prefers In Front of My House with its whimsy and outlandish inclusions. I wonder what the judges will choose. Much like I wonder which will be winners in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards. We’ll soon know.

Have you read any of the books on the Canadian shortlist? Do you think major book awards lead to international recognition?

What do you think of the CBCA Awards? Do they have their finger on the pulse of great contemporary Australian literature?

And, finally, what do YOU think of THIS year's list? What will win? What SHOULD win? And which books SHOULD have been on the list?

Every School Library Should Own This Book! (Patsy goes to the launch of One Small Island)

2011-08-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

ONE SMALL ISLAND – ALISON LESTER AND CORAL TULLOCH

I was fortunate enough to attend the Hobart launch of this new book a week or so ago – I had been waiting and waiting for this for months! And now I have my signed copy!

Coral Tulloch

Why was I so keen to get my hands on a copy of this book about Macquarie Island? There are a couple of reasons. One is that, in my opinion, both author/illustrators are excellent, and we can rely on their output being of high quality. And as a member of the Tasmanian National Parks Association for some years, I have been concerned at the ‘she’ll be right, mate!’ attitude shown in the past by both federal and state government as the World Heritage Macquarie Island continued to deteriorate. The Association has kept up a postcard campaign for several years and has published articles in its newsletter in an attempt to raise the importance of the issue in public and political eyes.

Yes, I’ll admit, some problems have been addressed, but it has taken so long – an island at that latitude will not recover rapidly from the despoliation caused to its flora and fauna by species introduced by exploitative humanity.

Alison Lester

The book itself, through the covers, the endpapers, the text, and the detailed artwork, contains material which addresses many issues relevant to Macquarie Island. Its geology, its exploitation as a source of seal and penguin oil, its history associated with Antarctic explorers, the impact of feral species on the island, and the conservation message are all there.

Every school library, whether primary or secondary, should have its copies, and every family will find it a source of information and discussion with a wide range of ages.

Congratulations to Alison and Coral for their thoughtful contribution to available material on Macquarie Island!

- Patsy Jones, President, CBCA Tasmanian Branch

News: Susanne Gervay wins the 2011 Australian Family Therapists' Award

2011-07-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

Great news just in! The wonderful Susanne Gervay has won the 2011 Australian Family Therapists' Award for Children's Literature for her book, Always Jack.

Susanne is a writer I have long admired, not only for her talent but for her commitment, both through her work and personally, to advocacy on a range of issues, from bullying to the fight against violence towards children. She is also heavily involved in many arts organisations and is a staunch advocate for the importance of all arts in the lives of children.

Susanne has written a lovely blog post to say thank you for all the congratulatory messages she is receiving, from all quarters. Susanne, the praise is very well deserved. Enjoy it!

The Cancer Council of Australia has also endorsed the book, saying, ‘Susanne Gervay’s ‘Always Jack’ makes it safe for children, parents and the wider community to talk about cancer.’

Always Jack is a gorgeous book and hopefully this award will give it the publicity it deserves and bring its message to a wider audience, particularly those affected by the issues it so touchingly examines.

Congratulations once more to Susanne!

The following is the media release produced by Susanne's publisher, Harper Collins:

HarperCollins are thrilled to announce that Susanne Gervay’s Always Jack has won the 2011 Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature.

Susanne Gervay, awarded an OAM for Children’s Literature and Professional Organisations, is recognised for her books on social justice reaching young people, families and communities.

Part survival manual, part therapy, part autobiography, part fiction, Always Jack succeeds in distilling a complex medical conditions for young readers to digest. The Sun Herald Book Review says, ‘Beautiful, sad, funny – Always Jack will make you laugh and make you cry. Guaranteed. Carrying the NSW Cancer Council’s stamp of approval, Jack’s story will stay with readers always.’

Susanne Gervay is an award-winning Australian author and a specialist in child development. Her much-loved and bestselling I Am Jack has become a classic on school bullying, reaching adults and children alike. Her most recent young adult book, That’s Why I Wrote This Song, was written in collaboration with her daughter, Tory. Susanne’s books have appeared on the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Notable Books list and I Am Jack is endorsed by Life Education Australia, the Alannah & Madeline Foundation and Room to Read.

Verse that enters the soul: CBCA Judge Jenni Connor reviews Cate Kennedy's The Taste of River Water

2011-07-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

Cate Kennedy

I have taken to reading verse ‘in my old age’ (raging, as Thomas says against the dying of the light) because of the images it distils that take me to another place and render the familiar new.

Cate Kennedy’s new collection, The Taste of River Water (Scribe publications, 2011) is walking off retail bookshelves. The verse is predictably controlled, minimalist and gracefully insightful.

These come across as ‘women’s stories’, even when they tell the tales of men. They resonate with the female – the woman lost in the desert who finds ‘a waiting gift’; the daughter who carries forever the exhilaration of her father’s escape, for a moment in childhood, from the bleak despair of poverty; the photographer mother who captures, unsung, her children’s faces lifted to the splendour of unknown rain.

Most poignantly, Kennedy captures the piercing loss of a child at birth and the muted chorus of anxious gladness that accompanies the arrival of the next, living child.

My favourites include: After the deconsecration, Suspect and October 14, 2010: the Chilean miners are lifted to the light.

Kennedy moves between a luscious sensuality, a deep compassion and an arid, biting sensibility which enters the soul as only verse can.

What are your favourite poems, and why do you love them? Do you agree that with Jenni's statement, about poetry entering the soul?

Jenni Connor, from Hobart, is the Tasmanian representative on the national CBCA Awards Judging Panel since May 2010, when her reading of books nominated for the 2011 Awards began, to August 2012, when the 2012 Awards are announced.

Jenni has had a long association with literature for children and young people and has been State and National president for CBCA. This is Jenni's second term as Judge for the CBC Book Awards, so she has some idea of what to expect!

Jenni says it is a privilege to be invited once again to serve CBCA as one of the judges for these important awards which promote literature for children and young people to the wider Australian public.

A Writer Reads (or Penny Discovers What She's Been Missing!)*

2011-07-17T15:34:00.001-07:00

Penny devours some classics!

I guess a lot of people would assume that writers of children's books have read every good children's book ever written. But not me. You see I grew up in a musical family who read lots of sheet music but didn't read much in the way of fiction. So I still read children's books at every possible opportunity and I recently trawled through the shelves of the State Library and picked a selection at random. Here's what I'm discovering this time around.

Ghost Hunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost! by German-born author Cornelia Funke is a fun and quirky story about various kinds of ghosts and how to stop them haunting people and places. Cornelia also wrote Inkheart, a personal favourite.

Mr Badger and the Big Surprise, written and illustrated by talented Aussie Leigh Hobbs, is a terrific story about Mr Badger, the Special Events Manager in a big London hotel and I so look forward to reading more in the series.

Sarindi's Dragon Kite by Australian author Janine M Fraser looks at the effects of natural disasters on families. Through Sarindi's eyes we visit loss and grief but also hope and joy.

But the one I read last night and which I absolutely loved is Scottish author Kenneth Grahame's classic Wind in the Willows, the story of Mole, Rat, Badger and Toad. I'm sure I read this as a child ... I must have, mustn't I? Anyway, I loved it and the beautiful colour illustrations.

I've just started The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by Aussie icon May Gibbs., another classic. It's going to take me some time to get through this volume but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Then there are the others waiting in the wings (actually on my bedside table) ... Agent Z and the penguin from Mars by Mark Haddon, Darius Bell and the Glitter Pool by Odo Hirsch and finally The Enchanted Wood by the brilliant Enid Blyton.

You've probably all read these already and know what a treat is in store for me. Then, when I've finished them, it's back to the library for me.

Happy reading everyone!

Cheers, Penny Garnsworthy (newsletter officer)

* We need your help! What do you think, readers? Has Penny got a good selection here? Did you love The Wind in the Willows? Is Enid Blyton really brilliant? And what other novels should Penny read as she continues her kidlit education?

A Writer Reads (or Penny Discovers What She's Been Missing!)*

2011-07-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

Penny devours some classics!

Mann Meets World (or what Maureen did in Canada) ...

2011-07-12T03:10:00.000-07:00

I am lucky enough to have spent several weeks this year overseas, including Canada visiting my daughter and grandson. While travelling I tend to read easily-accessed adult books, such as mysteries and detective fiction – I haven’t yet joined the ebook reading brigade. Of course, as many book lovers do, I try to spend time in bookshops wherever I go: to see what’s there, especially in the children’s/young adult area, and which Australian authors have managed to get international rights. Sometimes in non-English speaking countries, the range of English language titles isn’t very wide, and that’s to be expected. But there’s always the exception to this statement and it’s always a wonderful surprise too. And I find it really encouraging when the English-language titles are not just the classics, but reflect in a small way what’s being published.

Moncton

Our daughter lives in Moncton, a town similar in size to Launceston, on the east coast of Canada. There, I had the opportunity to chat with the manager of the children’s/young adult section of the national chain bookshop. It is now essentially the only bookstore in the city. Of course, there are other places which sell books but they tend not to specialise and stock relatively little for children. The children’s section is vibrant and interesting to look at. There is a huge stock across all sections, books are arranged in clear categories but there is no allowance for picture books for older readers. For example, Lemony Snicket’s brilliant 13 Words is shelved in the 3-5 section but it has so much to offer readers older than this age range, and therefore might be missed.

One of the answers gave confirmation of my impression that almost everything in North America is first published in hardback format and the paperback comes later. It has always surprised me that publishers of young adult, and to a lesser extent titles for younger readers, still present books in hard covers. I know from my years as a teacher librarian that most Australian (and can I therefore extrapolate North American?) YA readers prefer paperbacks. Her comments lead me to believe it’s because adults prefer hardback books, assuming that they are going to be long-lasting titles. And what publisher doesn’t believe/hope that this will happen to each one of their publications? What do you think?

So what did I see interesting on the shelves? Colleen Houck’s Tiger’s Curse has a great cover. Emerald Atlas (John Stephens) is a well-developed and hefty 417 paged fantasy novel for younger readers. Loved the cover, which reflects the emerald theme. Tim Wynne-Jones’ new YA urban thriller is Blink & Caution: another title which attracted me by its cover. It may challenge readers with its use of second and third person narrative but I am going to have to get myself a copy. I found a new James Rollins Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx so that’s gone onto my must-read list too. Blood Red Road (Moira Young) is a gripping fantasy with a great story line and which will challenge the reader because of the narrator’s vernacular voice, with its lack of accepted grammar rules.

Picture books are my favourite genre so I always spend lots of time in this section. Frank Viva’s Along a Long Road was a delightful cycle journey, using a very limited colour palette of black, pale blue, a dash of red and cream with the road in gloss yellow. I was a little bothered by the lack of commas or full stops though! I thoroughly enjoyed Cats’ Night Out (author Caroline Stutson, illustrator Jon Klassen) which won the 2010 Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award for illustration in an English language book. I’m not sure how the reader (and judges) can separate words and pictures in a good picture book but this award only goes to the illustrator, not the joint production. The book has wonderful digital illustrations of pairs of cats sashaying in alleys and across rooftops as well as unexpected details, complemented by Stutson’s sophisticated rhyming text which introduces the reader to many forms of dance and music: blues, hip hop, rock and more. It’s a firm favourite of mine, although it remains in Canada. Rob Scotton’s mischievous cat Splat is one of my favourites so I enjoyed his new title, Splish, Splash, Splat. Splat joins Spike at the pool and is not happy about getting into the water but discovers that he and Spike may have more in common than he thought. Slightly Invisible returns Charlie and Lola to our shelves with Lauren Child’s trademark format of varied fonts and page design.

There were a few Australian authors to be found in the children’s/YA sections too. Several titles from the following authors: Mem Fox, Graeme Base, Markus Zusak, Garth Nix (including his new adventure title Trouble Twisters, written with Sean Williams which Kate reviewed last week), Emily Rodda, Scott Westerfeld and Justine Larbalestier, John Marsden’s Hamlet and Ophelia, (Hamlet, A Novel in Australia). Nicholas Bland was in both the English and French section. One of my favourite illustrators, David Mackintosh, now living in UK, has a new picture book: Marshall Armstrong Is New To Our School which is about settling in to a new school.

Happy reading to you all!

- Maureen

Is 2011 The Year of Awesome Bookness?

2011-07-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

Jeepers this year has been a big, big year for awesome books! Anybody who reads my blog will know I went a bit loopy over the heartbreakingly beautiful Black Painted Fingernails and the glorious Dangerously Placed, but they are just two of the many incredible books I've been lucky enough to have taken into my home, my life and my heart in this fabulous year for reading!

I use the social networking website Goodreads to keep track of what I've read. It's a wonderful platform for discussing, reviewing and recording your reading life. I love looking back at the end of a year at all the books I've read and how many stars I've given them. This year, my "read" list is already crammed with four and five star reads. My five star reads include A Pocketful of Eyes by Lili Wilkinson - a wickedly funny mystery set in the taxidermy lab of a natural history museum in Melbourne; Burn Bright, a dark, unsettling, sensual fantasy novel by Marianne de Pierres; Withering Tights, a helter skelter madcap romp of a story by Louise Rennison; and Angel, a refreshing, disturbing, innovative addition to the canon of paranormal novels featuring angels.

And today I finished another five star book. It's called Troubletwisters and it's a truly delicious, odd and sparklingly magical novel by the always marvellous Garth Nix and a writer I can't wait to read more of, Sean Williams. The story centres on twins, Jaide and Jack, who are sent to live with their mysterious Grandma X following a bizarre storm at their house, and the disappearance of their strange, wonderful father. Upon arriving at Grandma X's house, the twins discover both their grandmother and her house are magical, mysterious and possibly dangerous. They discover that they themselves have talents and gifts that are at the same time exciting and terrifying. They discover talking cats, secret doorways, crocodile skulls with a taste for human fingers, hypnotic hot chocolate, possessed weather vanes and, most frightening of all, eerie, white-eyed creatures who can speak inside their minds. The creatures and Grandma X call the twins "troubletwisters". But what is a "troubletwister"? And why are Jack and Jaide so important to Grandma X, to the creatures, and to the fate of the planet?

This was a completely gorgeous read - dark and mysterious; funny (often blackly so, particularly where the cats and the snapping crocodile skull are involved), quirky and innovative. I would expect nothing less from Nix, a writer who has compelled me since I was the age of Jack and Jaide. So many books have come out in recent years with an obvious sole goal of becoming the "Next Harry Potter". This book deserves that title, yet (thankfully) doesn't seem to strive for it. With the Harry Potter film franchise wrapping up, it would be wonderful if this series (the second novel is previewed at the back of this book), could be a successor. I hope it catches on. It deserves to.

It's such an exciting time in children's and young adult literature right now. I think, in years to come, we will look back on this time as a "golden age" of the genre. Sometimes I wish I was a teenager again, so I could read all of these incredible books with teenage eyes. Mostly though, I'm glad that these books are around for me to read an an adult. They prevent me from ever having to grow up. Thank heavens for that. Wouldn't growing up be a horrible thing to have to do?

There's only one trouble with all of this. Now I've finished Troubletwisters, which of the many, many books on the pile beside my bed do I read next? Whichever I pick, though, I'm sure if it's a 2011 publication it's going to be something pretty special. Because jeepers this is one heck of a year!

- Kate Gordon

Notes From The President

2011-07-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

Life Inside "The FAYZ" (Gone series - Michael Grant, Egmont, 2009)

Lana :

Lana read a lot now. There were still plenty of books in the FAYZ. Almost no music, no TV or movies. Plenty of books. She read everything from fun chick lit to heavy, boring books.

Astrid :

It wasn’t a book she’d ever have read back in the old days. She wouldn’t have been caught dead reading some silly teen romance. Back then she’d have read a classic, or some work of great literary merit. Or history.

Now she needed escape. Now she needed not to be in this world, this terrible world of the FAYZ. Books were the only way out.

I can’t make up my mind about this series – and I hear there are two more titles still to come! It’s definitely a ‘can’t-put-down’ story. But does the author have an overall plan, or does he just snatch ideas, each more horrible than the last, out of his imagination when things in the FAYZ might be approaching some sort of equilibrium? And I wonder if the series has been used in the classroom at all? A confident teacher might find it an interesting basis for philosophical or ethical or even economic discussion –but I don’t think I could!

Life Without Libraries?(Resurgence July / August 2011, Issue 267 and Philip Pullman)

I do some volunteer work at a little special library (see its catalogue at http://203.55.91.173/cgi-bin/koha/opac-main.pl) and was preparing the latest copy of this British journal for the shelves when I noticed it contained an article by Philip Pullman (remember His dark materials?).

There seem to be the same public service cuts scheduled in Britain as we are facing here – in Oxfordshire (Philip’s home area) the County Council has had the bright idea that libraries can stay open if they are staffed by volunteers, and their communities can bid against each other for the funds required to maintain the libraries. An interesting thought! Below are some of the paragraphs in his article which I found particularly noteworthy.

‘Does he [Keith Mitchell, leader of the County Council] think the job of a librarian is so simple that any old body can step up and do it for a nice thank you and a cup of tea? Does he think that all a librarian does is to tidy the shelves? And who are these volunteers? Who are all these people whose lives are so empty; whose time is so free, who have no families to look after, no paid jobs to do, no responsibilities and enough wealth that they can commit many hours of every week to working for nothing?’

and

…..’one of the few things that make life more bearable for the young mother…..is a weekly story session in the local library, the one just down the road.

She can go there with the toddler and the baby and sit in the warmth, in a place that’s clean and safe and friendly, a place that makes her and the children welcome. But does she or any of the other mothers or any of the older people who all enjoy and use the library have the social confidence, political connections, administrative experience or even the spare time and energy to enable them to become the volunteers that will keep the library open?’

Have a look at the complete article at http://www.resurgence.org/magazine/article3417.html - you’ll find it well worth reading.

- Patsy Jones

Penny Reads Like An Egyptian ...

2011-06-20T00:27:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from Melbourne, my prime motivation for being there to visit the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. You see I'm an Ancient Egypt tragic so this was one exhibition I wasn't going to miss. And what an extraordinary experience it was - to be able to stand before beautiful, priceless artifacts that are well over 3,000 years old!

In the weeks leading up to my visit a friend offered to lend me a children's novel set in Ancient Egypt and naturally I jumped at the chance. The Golden Goblet was written by American Eloise Jarvis McGraw back in 1964 and it is definitely a classic. Eloise's research was meticulous and her descriptive narrative had me completely immersed in the atmosphere and culture of that incredible era, right from page one. So enthralled was I that I have ordered my own copy and a copy of her 1953 book Mara, Daughter of the Nile, which I can't wait to read.

Of course we have our very own Aussie children's author who specialises in ancient civilisations. Geoffrey McSkimming has travelled all over the world to research his wonderfully entertaining series which features 'that well-known archaeologist and little-known poet' Cairo Jim. Books from the series have been translated into many languages and are sold all over the world. How could you not pick up a book entitled Cairo Jim and the Secret Sepulchre of the Sphinx or Cairo Jim and the Rorting of Ramses' Regalia or even Cairo Jim and the Sunken Sarcophagus? I've just finished reading Cairo Jim Amidst the Petticoats of Artemis, yet another rollicking adventure that had me grinning from start to finish.

But for those of us who like something a little more contemporary, I did read Caroline Graham's Murder at Madingley Grange from my Kindle at every opportunity whilst travelling to, from and around Melbourne. Here is an author who just has a way with characters, who gives them such personality, such vibrancy that by the end of her books I feel as if I've actually met them.

Aren't books a delight? Happy reading everyone!

- Penny Garnsworthy

Not Enough Shades of Grey - Jenni Connor reviews Nineteen Minutes

2011-06-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

When I’m travelling, I like to read something ‘escapist’; something I wouldn’t cry about if lost en route.

So, I took my copy of Nineteen Minutes with me recently to Cairns, Brisbane and Melbourne – don’t get the envies, I was travelling for work; though I did enjoy the warm weather at the beginning; Brisbane was really cold!

The novel, which echoes the Columbine High School ‘massacre’ in 1999, employs Picoult’s trademark, successful formula:

Highlight an issue – access to guns and the impact of bullying
Set the scene for a debate
Introduce a set of characters who are likeable, but flawed
Canvas their relationships and tensions
Build to a courtroom drama finale

Why then, didn’t this title work for me?

Maybe the issue – of a teen high school killer who wipes out ten kids and wounds 16 more – did not have enough shades of grey. However bullied he might have been (and he was), nothing in the plot or characterisation quite justifies the slaughter he perpetrates.

Maybe the relationships between characters were too forced? And, maybe the characters overall, weren’t likeable enough?

Is it feasible that the judge and the midwife become firm friends and then, without further discussion, fall out over the issue of family gun policy? Is it stretching probability that the prosecuting detective ends up in bed with said judge?

Maybe the inevitable Picoult-style sting in the tail – when it turns out that more than one person had their hand on the trigger – is insufficiently explained?

So, does this mean I didn’t enjoy the book? No, engagement and detachment are two sides of the literary coin and experienced readers slip in and out of total absorption and critique quite comfortably; that’s the trick we want younger readers to acquire.

I might try something with a bit more weight next though, so I can linger in the engrossed phase longer.

Not Enough Shades of Grey - Jenni Connor reviews Nineteen Minutes

2011-06-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

Highlight an issue – access to guns and the impact of bullying
Set the scene for a debate
Introduce a set of characters who are likeable, but flawed
Canvas their relationships and tensions
Build to a courtroom drama finale

Doing the Rounds With Carol (Books to Keep Kids Reading)

2011-06-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

Carol, Michelle O'Byrne and Nella at the launch of the booklet

What can be better than spending time chatting with people about books? Well if those people are as book crazy as you are then there is twice the pleasure. My mission for the next three months or more is to visit every group of parents, teachers, librarians, grandparents, aunts and uncles I can find and talk with them about tips for choosing books that will inspire, interest and certainly keep kids reading.

With the launch of this much applauded little booklet, I have been inundated with emails and phone calls from people wanting me to visit their playgroups, schools and P&F meetings. So far I have requests stretching from Yolla in the far North West to Dover and Tasman Peninsula in the South with just about everywhere else in between. Thank goodness it’s the school holidays and I have a little respite before business resumes in earnest.

My first visit was to Gagebrook Primary school where I found a library which already has many of our recommended books on its shelves and a small group of parents fairly jumping out of their skins to talk, look at and understand the characteristics of a good kid’s book. I hope all my contacts are as positive and enjoyable as this one.

I have also been to a Family Day at the Dover Street Community House in Launceston’s Northern Suburbs where Neighbourhood House employees, parents and local teachers and carers had a great time browsing through a selection of our recommended books. What a scream to witness an enthusiastic adult reading aloud with lots of expression from Nick Bland’s The Wrong Book to an equally enthusiastic group of fellow workers ‘on the mat’. Yes, my mission is ultimately to get these adults reading to kids but first they have to be inspired by the material. And they were!

My next assignment is at Norwood primary where I am talking with a group of parents of pre- school children. The variety of groups is challenging because different aspects of a book have more or less significance according to the age of the readers upon whom we are focusing. Well if nothing else my sessions won’t be repetitious or over rehearsed because each one will be unique.

Fitting all these visits into a schedule that doesn’t involved driving up and down the highways of Tasmania is going to be tricky but if we can help people understand the facets of a book that make it more attractive, or more suitable to a particular level, age group or type of child reader it will be worth it.

I am also trying to work into this time table some discussions with people who might be interested in serving as CBCA reading judges. It is a surprisingly complex task to read and assess 400 samples of children’s literature spanning from 0 to 18 years of age. Most people will have expertise in some but not all of the skills areas involved. For example when I was a judge I was fairly confident about Younger and Older readers but relatively uneducated about Early Childhood and Picture Books compared to some of the other judges. And then there’s the different forms of writing I discovered during the process. I don’t mean the author’s styles but the different types of writing I had to do. Writing up my first impressions of a book was quite different to writing the annotated notes which have to be written for every book that shows potential shortlist possibilities. That is different again to the writing style for the blurbs about the winners, honour books and notables that eventually are published in the official CBCA booklets each year.

But that is the great aspect of the position. One learns so much and grows tremendously as an informed reader over the period of office. It is one of the most interesting, beneficial and rewarding jobs I have ever experienced despite the huge time commitment and the stress of deadlines and decision making. Not to mention the several hundred or so new books to which I was introduced and which now reside on my friends’, my grandson’s and my own book shelf.

I am also accumulated a fascinating collection of Peter Rabbit publications which serve to illustrate some of the fundamental points about what to look for when choosing an appropriate book for children. If you want to know how Peter Rabbit can do this then you will just have to organize a group of interested people or friends and contact me on carol.fuller@bigpond.com to come and have a discussion about kid’s books. Looking forward to meeting you.
Cheers
CAF

- Carol Fuller

What are you reading this weekend?

2011-06-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

Looks like it's going to be a pretty soggy weekend in Launceston!

Luckily, I'm just about to start reading a book I've been meaning to get into for ages.

It's called Loathing Lola and it was written by a then-nineteen-year-old (they make 'em so darn YOUNG these days. Ahem, Steph Bowe. Ahem Alexandra Adornetto), William Kostakis.

Funny, smart, silly and sweet, Loathing Lola documents the ups and downs of being Australia’s newest teenage reality TV star. Sixteen-year-old Courtney Marlow struggles with friends, fame, love, loss and... Lola.

It's funny thinking that, only three years after this book was written, reality TV has kind of fizzled out. Apart from cooking shows (and, to a lesser extent, talent-search shows, which seem to be fading slowly away, too), nobody seems to want to watch people just being their boring selves any more. This doesn't diminish my eagerness to read this novel. I read the first couple of pages before I bought it and laughed so hard I snorted. In the middle of a very quiet book shop. Embarrassing, but a good sign for a thoroughly enjoyable booky experience!

And, if the weather continues to be so gosh-darn repulsive, an enjoyable book experience (and many cups of tea), might be just about the highlight of this grey weekend!

What will you be reading as the rain buckets down and the wind threatens to tear your roof off? Or, if it's sunny where you are, well, I dislike you strongly and wish to throw things at you, but I still want to hear what you're reading!

- Kate G

Nella Goes to Reading Matters (Lucky Duck)

2011-05-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

Christmas and my January birthday usually find me receiving exciting gifts such as Coles’ vouchers or bed socks; so last year I asked for a contribution towards my registration for Reading Matters. http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/reading-matters. To make my celebrations last a little longer, I also registered for the students’ day and the keynote event – a panel discussion on "My Favourite children’s book".

I won’t try to compete with the excellent bloggers who have written detailed reports. Here are a couple:

http://my-girlfriday.blogspot.com/2011/05/reading-matters-2011-part-1.html

http://bookworm-megs.blogspot.com/2011/05/reading-matters-conference-day-two.html.

But here are some (not all) of the highlights for me:

The performances – from Book Thief, City of Bones and When you reach me.
Authors such as Markus Zusak and Karen Healey reading their own works (especially the works that are as yet unpublished)
Authors giving fascinating talks to the students
Markus Zusak explaining that details make a story, that the most important party of storytelling is the unexpected (i.e. a slightly vulnerable Death telling the story is better than a powerful one). Also, I will now listen for the supermarket conversations - sentences where every third word has a full stop and sentences end with a flourish (listen closely).
Hearing that there are as many ways to write a book as there are authors – from Jane Burke’s meticulous research into pig hunting and gutting, to Cassandra Clare’s "microplotting" with her friends over a 13 hour session, to Markus Zusak reworking the story yet keeping it simple to Ursula Dubosarky’s use of the titles of Charles Blackman’s 1950s school girl paintings to shape a story. Dubosarky describes her writing process as “crystals gathering on a pear”.

Another highlight was My favourite children’s book - a panel where authors reminisced about their favourite books as children. The panellists were:

Rebecca Stead – award-winning US children’s author
Russel Howcroft – "adman" and Gruen Transfer regular
Roland Harvey – celebrated local author and illustrator
Miso (Stanislava Pinchuk) a Melbourne artist
Lawrence Leung – comedian, writer and star of ABC TV’s Choose Your Own Adventure

Both Russel & Roland named nonfiction books; for Russel it was Ampol ‘s Australian Sporting Records which he shared with his father; for Roland The Eagle Annual – filled with stories and detailed projects for making boats and other marvels that fascinate the young (particularly boys).

Lawrence went home to his parents to find this favourite book The Bike Lesson by Stan & Jan Berenstain. He knew exactly where it was, what it looked like, what colour it was ... will it be the same for the ebook generation?

Still more highlights included:

Paula Kelly’s 5 myths about young people, books & reading (let’s hope she turns that into a paper we can show the educational hierarchy)
Zoe Sadokierski’s session on covers and her "Gruen Transfer" style "design a cover for a new book"
Kate Burridge’s session on swearing. Interesting to hear about how Australians use "infixes", i.e. – abso-bloody –lutely? And did you know that the use of body parts as insults started in 1928
The wackiness of Richard Newsome & Oliver Phommavanh

So thanks Richard, Mum, Dad and Little Brother, for the Christmas/birthday present!

PS: Need a hint for presents for 2011/2012?

The CBCA conference will be in Adelaide next May ...

- by CBCA secretary Nella Pickup

It's the end of the world as we know it!

2011-05-22T00:27:00.000-07:00

No, no, not "The Rapture" (although I would have been very disgruntled if that had happened yesterday, as it would mean I'd never get to read the new Nick Earls book ... or finish the sublime new Lili Wilkinson). I'm talking about not the future of life on our planet, but the future of what makes life on this planet (for many of us), worth living:

Books.

At the CBCA conference a week ago, I was asked to be on a panel about e-books and the future of reading. I was a bit nervous about talking on the topic as a) I am always nervous about talking in public (this is why I am a writer: so I can write instead of talk) and b) I felt completely ill-equipped to talk on an issue I'm only just getting my head around.

I don't know much about different e-readers, the technology behind them, the minefield that is "DRM", or statistics on who is shunning paper for pixels. I waver between being a bit scared of what the advent of e-books might herald; excited about the possibility of a whole new generation of readers discovering reading in an entirely different way, on an entirely different form of technology from that which my generation and those before are familiar with; and nostalgic about that very same technology. I like paper books. I'm a book nerd. It's a cliché, but I like the way they smell. I like "cracking" a spine. I like turning down pages. I like the weight of a book; the way it feels in my hand.

I also like publishers. This may sound unfashionable to all of those writers out there who think that this new digital revolution will mean they can more easily convey their message to the masses, bypassing the traditional publishing house route. And, maybe, before I was published by a couple of wonderful publishing houses, I might have felt a bit the same ... or maybe not. I've always known (through my work in libraries and book shops), that there can sometimes be a gap between the quality of self-published works and those published by a reputable publishing house. I know that's a generalisation. I have read some fabulous self-published work, especially recently as I've met some self-published authors with great talent (some of it, I wish had the wider audience that comes with a publishing house's marketing department). But, I'm worried that if self-publishing becomes easier, this work will be in the minority, and will get lost amongst the less-wonderful stuff.

The reason some self-published work is of a much lower quality than that produced by traditional publishing methods is that publishing houses help a writer to craft a product. The incredibly talented editors who work for publishing houses take what is often a fairly raw material (it's not called a rough draft for nothing), and help a writer to make it into something polished and well-executed. I worry that, with the ease of self-publication that will come with e-books, this crucial step in the publishing process will be neglected, and what we will be left with is a million rough drafts.

That said, people are discerning. Just like they are able to ferret out precious little truffles of books in a bookshop and discard the mud that often surrounds them, I reckon they'll be able to pick out a great digital book amongst other lesser offerings.

My other worry about the e-book "revolution" (though, in Australia, at the moment, it's more like a small peaceful protest - but one that grows in size daily), is that we haven't quite worked out all the twists and turns of the law regarding the ownership of the books. When you buy an e-book, you don't actually own it; you're just licensed to read it. That, to me, is kind of sad. Pricing is another issue that will probably take awhile to settled in to a "good place".

So they're the negatives. The positives are many. For one thing, if it facilitates a whole new generation of passionate readers, bring it on! Gen Y and "Millennials" have grown up with, if not a silver spoon in their mouths, then an iPad in their hands. This is their reality. Technology is as integrated into their lives as paper and pens were in ours. It seems a natural extension that, as they can watch movies and listen to music on their "devices", so they should be able to read books. Reading is - for the most part - entertainment. It's fun. I worry that, if we say to kids that they can listen to music and watch movies and surf the internet on their iPads and smartphones, but they're not allowed to read books on them, we'll be sending a message that reading isn't as fun as those other activities. Plus, as the great Michael Pryor said, "It's the message, not the medium". It's the same book; the same words. One just has real pages. The other has a "page turn function".

It's not the end of the world as we know it. Just like "The Rapture" turned out to be just a great excuse for us to examine our lives, table our regrets, and make some positive plans for the future of our existence if we did survive the "earthquake, the advent of e-books gives us an opportunity to view the publishing industry with fresh eyes - see what's working and what isn't and, most importantly, convert a whole new generation of believers to the rapture that is reading.

- Kate Gordon

CBCA Tas Conference!

2011-05-15T02:34:00.000-07:00

CBCA Tassie president, the amazing Patsy Jones

Where were you last Friday and Saturday? At the footy? At the movies? At the pub? Really? Well, let me tell you, those were not the places to be this weekend!

Chris Morphew

On Friday and Saturday, the CBCA Tasmania branch ran its 2011 conference. I went to both the Launnie and Hobart gigs, and both days were wonderfully inspiring, thought-provoking and downright fantastic days. A big reason for this was the glorious Chris Morphew, who took time out from his busy life as a "Hip geek" celebrity to teen readers all over the country to give us his thoughts on YA trends and the "reluctant reader". Now, I am a huge fan of Chris (and had to stop myself from going all "fangirl" when I met him), but I can say, impartially, he had the rest of us delegates in the palm of his hand for his entire talk. What I loved most is how much he values his readers, never talks down to them, and rates their opinion over any other. He's an inspiration.

Tony Flowers

Also inspirational was Tassie illustrator Tony Flowers, who showed us his gobsmacking handmade popup book creations. He's a super talent (and most be unbelIEVably patient to boot). Andrea Potter also gave an eye-opening speech on the Visual Spatial learner. I think the teachers in the pack, in particular, found her thoughts incredibly useful.

Michelle O'Byrne

Carol Fuller gave a talk on the new publication she has produced with Nella Pickup - Books To Keep Kids Reading. It's a brochure full of great titles for parents to pick for their kids. Carol is available to do talks with community groups and parents and friends associations about this booklet. Drop us a line at our comments form if you'd like her to come and chat to your group, and we'll pass the message on. The (exceedingly) new Minister for Children, Michelle O'Byrne was kind enough to come along and launch the booklet. Michelle is a dedicated reader of kids' books, and passionate about reading to her own young-uns, so she was the perfect person for the job.

Carol Fuller

We also had some fun, feisty forums in the afternoon, on ebooks and the future of the book. The general consensus was "It's the message, not the medium" (Thanks to Michael Pryor for that quote), that it doesn't really matter how kids read as long as they're reading, that the paper book aint set for the grave just yet, and there are many kinks to be ironed out before ebooks can be an integrated part of school content delivery.

Jenni Connor

Last but not least, we had great presentations from some fabulous speech pathologists, and our Tassie CBCA Awards judge, Jenni Connor, who presented despite a super painful injury to her shoulder blade!

If you've been considering coming to a CBCA Tas conference but haven't got there yet ... well, you missed out big time this year, but there's always next year, so watch this space.

Michelle O'Byrne with Carol Fuller and Nella Pickup

Death in teenage fiction - Kate Gordon

2011-05-08T02:06:00.000-07:00

This week has seen me attend both a wedding and a funeral. I've been lucky in my life so far to attend many of the former and few of the latter. Many others aren't so fortunate, and many have to deal with death at a much younger age than I've had to. Whether it's expected or sudden, death is always devastating. I think, probably, the younger you are, the more it is so.

Before I had any experience of death in my "real" life, I encountered it through fiction. I remember, vividly, bursting into loud, uncontrollable sobs in the middle of silent reading when coming up to "that scene" in The Horse Whisperer. I read Tess of the d'Urbervilles so many times I could have recited it with my eyes closed, but I still felt as though my soul was being ripped out whenever I reached the end. I guess, in some ways, death in fiction prepared me for death in real life, in some small way. I invested so much in these characters their loss felt like the loss of friends.

Lately, I have read some wonderful teen fiction that deals with death. The superlative Looking for Alaska is the one that springs to mind first. The death in this book is of the unexpected variety and, when it happened, I felt like the floor had fallen out beneath me. It was written so exquisitely by the incredibly talented Green, and it was set up with such skill that it was like a sucker punch. The way he dealt with the aftermath was similarly well executed. But that makes it sound clinical. There was nothing clinical about the death in this book. It was real and vivid and visceral and gut-wrenching.

In Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall, the death is expected. In fact, it happens right at the beginning of the book. But then, in a young adult version of Groundhog Day, it happens again and again as the protagonist, Samantha is reborn each morning with another opportunity to live the last day of her life and right the wrongs she committed. It might seem like the concept has been "done" before, but the quality of Oliver's writing lifts this above cliche, and the character of Samantha is just so beautifully drawn, you can't help but become deeply involved in her journey. When the final "fall" occurred, I really did grieve for a character I had started out hating and ended up loving.

Death is heartbreaking no matter how it occurs. Nothing makes it easier. But these beautiful books - and many others - give us comfort in knowing it doesn't only happen to us; that others have gone through it and survived. For the young people, especially, who read them, they provide hope and solace, and a way to work through pain. Their value is immense.

If you've read any books that deal skilfully with this difficult topic, I'd love to hear your recommendations!

-Kate

Nella's big weekend!

2011-05-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

I asked the CBCA executive on Friday what book they had planned to read over the weekend.

Note, I asked for a book. Singular. Just one.

But, on Monday, our secretary - Nella Pickup - emailed me her weekend reads. Nella is a dedicated lover of children's literature and children's expert at a local bookshop. The reason she's an expert? Um, see below!

This is what Nella got up to at the weekend:

"Last weekend was great!" Nella told me. "I read ...

Emily Rodda Bungawitta Omnibus Books

The title caught my eye - my children had enjoyed their days at Bungawitta Child Care Centre. A warm and humorous tale about Aussie spirit. The town has 12 inhabitants because drought has driven everyone away. How does the town survive – by bringing tourists for the Bungawitta Earth Sculpture Festival. Craig Smith’s trademark illustrations add to the fun. (Mid- upper primary school)

Bernard Beckett August Text Publishing

I had previously enjoyed Genesis – a science fiction book about Anaximander, a student who is facing Examiners, who will question her about The life and times of Adam Forde, 2058 - 2077. Adam had been born shortly after The Final War which engulfed the world in plague. An isolationist republic had been created where ships, aircraft and any approaching refugees were all destroyed on sight. Adam became a popular hero by rebelling against the rigid rules and saving the life of a young refugee. In prison, Adam was forced to converse with a robot, Art, as part of its development. Since Adam’s death, there have been changes, but it is only in the powerful and moving finale that the reader realises that the novel is also a thought experiment. (14+)

With August, Beckett has created a similar experiment. The book opens with Tristan and Grace trapped upside down in a car teetering on a cliff. They are seriously injured and don’t know if the car can be seen from the road. Tristan and Grace don’t know each other but their lives have crossed many times. As they tell each other about themselves, the book becomes a philosophical discussion about the Christian (Augustinian) perspective of free will. And there was my disappointment. The philosophy lesson was too close to the agonies I lived through at school but more importantly it slowed the plot and the horrific truth behind their situation. (Adult)

Brigid Lowry Triple Ripple Allen & Unwin

The book is a three layer experience. The writer has to balance her life (including tea and cake), her concerns about the state of the world and her writing. The Reader is Nova, a girl who is being bullied at school, whinges about her ever present mother and her constantly disappearing father. The fairytale is about Glory - a girl from a poor family who is unaware she is the subject of a deadly curse until she arrives at a palace to work as maid to sulky Princess Mirabella. Highly recommended. (12+) Thanks to my friend Maureen for suggesting this.

Donna Leon Drawing Conclusions Heinemann

Another Guido Brunetti mystery for those who enjoy books set in Venice with a police inspector who loves his wife, his family, his city and his food.

Linda Olsson Astrid & Veronika Penguin

Story of two women who live next door to each other. The young one, a writer, is grieving over the death of her lover. The old woman has isolated herself from other human beings. As their relationship develops we learn about the two women, both motherless and childless. A quiet novel with beautifully crafted passages."

Nella also told me I shouldn't read in the car (I did my weekend reading - a pale shadow of Nella's achievement), in the car on the way to Stewart's Bay). She said I should listen to audiobooks so my husband can "read along". From now on, I will take any piece of reading advice Nella provides. She truly is a reading superstar!

What are you reading this weekend?

2011-04-29T02:01:00.000-07:00

For me it is always a joy and an indulgence to have a weekend devoid of work. It's a rare treat and I always need a good excuse! This weekend, it is the wedding of a dear old (as in years known not years of age) friend of mine, down at Port Arthur. Not only will it be a beautiful occasion, in a gorgeous setting, and a chance to catch up with my very best schoolfriends, but it will also involve seven to eight hours of car travel. Which, seeing as I am not the driver of the family, will mean ... reading! Hurrah!

I intend to finish reading a "grown-up" book (one of only a handful I have read over the past year - children's and YA books being so much more fun), the glorious newie from Joanna Trollope. She is one of the few "adult" authors I will turn to the dark side for! Then, once I've finished that I will be re-reading a favourite of mine, Claudia Gray's Stargazer, in preparation for reading the next book in this really fantastic vampire series.

I asked the rest of the CBCA executive what they will be reading over the weekend. Carol, like me, is having a rare foray into grown-up fiction. Penny said, "It's a long time since I've read a book 'over a weekend' ... but ... I've just picked up Lian Tanner's 'The Keepers'. The cover design is one of the most original I've ever seen and I can't wait to delve into the pages and lose myself in another world!"

CBCA Awards Judge told me that she's having a sneaky weekend off from her "job" reading children's books. "I’m a Judge; I only read children’s books!" she said. "However, I am allowing myself to indulge every so often in John Banville’s The Untouchable"

As for our President, Patsy Jones? This is what she had to say about her weekend reading plans: "This weekend I am planning to indulge myself with reading Margo Lanagan – I’m in the middle of her latest collection of short stories, ‘Yellowcake’, and found a copy of a 1998 publication of hers, ‘Walking Through Albert’, in the State Library the other day – written for a younger age group, this one. Comparing the two will be really interesting! I also have a copy of ‘Zombies vs. Unicorns’ from the library, but as my thirteen-year-old grandson swooped on that the other day while he was having a sleepover and took it home with him, I’ll have to wait to read Margo’s story ‘A Thousand Flowers’ in that book .

Margo’s work is amazing –she can be so chillingly creepy. I first read ‘Singing My Sister Down’ (from ‘Black Juice’) years ago but it can still send shivers up my spine when I think of it. What sort of nurture and nature can combine to produce such an original and imaginative mind?

I wonder if three lots of Margo in a few days will be too much for me in one hit?"

Patsy, in my opinion, too much Margo is never enough. Ditto reading in general, and I can't wait to indulge in much of it this weekend!

What are you reading this weekend?

Libraries, Literary idols and Chris Morphew

2011-04-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

I grew up in libraries. My parents both worked as school librarians. I spent many a weekend, while they worked on their backlog of cataloguing, curled up in a beanbag with a pile of novels beside me, alternating between reading and making the tough decisions over which ones I'd take home. I had a limit of ten. If I took any more, everything else apart from reading – including homework, eating, music practise and talking to my family – would fall by the wayside.

To me, libraries were home. Books were friends. I was a shy, solitary kid with a very active inner world. I populated this world with the characters and places from the books I loved. To me, Terabithia was real. Narnia was just through the wardrobe door. Bilbo would come home one day from his travels and knock on my door and there really were witches with blue tongues and no toes lurking behind hedges waiting for me to walk past so they could pounce. I always walked to our neighbours' house very quickly.

I'll never forget the day Roald Dahl died. I was eight years old. I was on the bus to school and I remember the news of his death making its way around the schoolbus in hushed, sombre whispers. To a bus full of primary school aged kids, Dahl was a celebrity. His books were so popular at our school there was a waiting list for them at the library and a black market on the copies owned by students. I had my own copies of which I was fiercely protective, even though it had taken me several goes to make it the whole way through The Witches. It is still, to this day, the most terrifying book I have ever read.

Many years later, I entered the family profession of librarianship and found myself in a school library. I discovered there are many authors who are treated with the same awe-struck devotion as Dahl was to us. Of course, JK Rowling is one, but there are many others. Anthony Horowitz; Christopher Paolini, Robert Muchamore, Angie Sage. Kids hanker for the next book in a series by any of these authors. They pester school librarians. They make fan fiction and art. These authors mean more to young readers than any Hollywood star could. And it's not just quiet kids who read. Mega-successful series like Harry Potter and Twilight have made reading cutting edge and cool – 20 years too late for me, I'm afraid!

Another writer whose popularity was immense was Chris Morphew. His Zac Power books caused a feeding frenzy amongst the grade sevens whenever a new one came into the library, and his Phoenix Files series did the same with the older kids. I became a bit of a fan myself after reading one to “see what all the fuss was about”. I'm very much looking forward to seeing Chris speak at the Tasmanian CBCA conference in May. I may go a bit starstruck!

I am so glad to see that there is a new generation of kids who feel like the library is their second home. Even though I don't work in libraries any more, I still feel drawn to them. I still often poke my head into the children's section and smile when I see young kids with huge piles of books next to them, making tough decisions. I know whichever books they decide to take home will contain new friends, new worlds, and new horizons for them to explore.

Want to see Chris talk at the CBCA conference? Details can be found on the events page of the CBCA website!

What are you reading?

2011-04-18T20:38:00.000-07:00

It's a glorious sunny day here in Launceston - the perfect kind of day for a bit of al fresco reading!

I'm currently reading the glorious new book by Australian speculative fiction author, Marianne de Pierre's. Marianne is a very highly regarded author of adult speculative fiction. This is her first book for young adults. It is dark, decadent, hypnotic and magical, and is also definitely one for older readers (think Justine Larbalestier's Liar and you're probably in about the right age range).

The following blurb is from Marianne's website (http://www.burnbright.com.au/):

"In Ixion music and party are our only beliefs. Darkness is our comfort. We have few rules but they are absolute . . .

Retra doesn’t want to go to Ixion, the island of ever-night, ever-youth and never-sleep. Retra is a Seal – sealed minds, sealed community. She doesn’t crave parties and pleasure, experience and freedom.

But her brother Joel left for Ixion two years ago, and Retra is determined to find him. Braving the intense pain of her obedience strip to escape the only home she’s ever known, Retra stows away on the barge that will take her to her brother.

When she can’t find Joel, Retra finds herself drawn deeper into the intoxicating world of Ixion. Come to me, whispers a voice in her head. Who are the Ripers, the mysterious guardians of Ixion? What are the Night Creatures Retra can see in the shadows? And what happens to those who grow too old for Ixion?

Retra will find that Ixion has its pleasures, but its secrets are deadly. Will friendship, and the creation of an eternal bond with a Riper, be enough to save her from the darkness?

Listen well, baby bats. Burn bright, but do not stray from the paths. Remember, when you live in a place of darkness you also live with creatures of the dark."

I am about halfway through this book and enjoying it immensely. The world de Pierres has created is so unique and spellbinding. I can't wait to finish it (and then it will be an impatient wait for the sequel).

Tell us, what are you reading on this gorgeous sunny day?