The Inky Awards are for the best new young adult books, as voted for by teen readers.

The Centre for Youth Literature is extremely proud to announce this year’s shortlist. We had a fantastic team of teen panelists (to find out more about them, visit our Judges page on Inside A Dog), who spent hours discussing, begging, and sometimes bribing Inky, for their favourite Inky Awards Longlisted books. Our judges took their responsibilities very seriously, and it was great to see such a considered and diverse discussion about books. Their enthusiasm was infectious.

Without further adieu, 2013 Inky Awards Shortlist is…

Girl Defective – Simmone Howell (Pan Macmillan)

My Life as an Alphabet – Barry Jonsberg (Allen and Unwin)

Cry Blue Murder – Kim Kane and Marion Roberts (UQP)

Life in Outer Space – Melissa Keil (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Friday Brown – Vikki Wakefield (Text Publishing)

The Diviners – Libba Bray (Allen and Unwin)

See You At Harry’s – Jo Knowles (Walker Books)

The Raven Boys – Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic)

This Is Not a Test – Courtney Summers (Pan Macmillan)

Code Name Verity – Elizabeth Wein (Hardie Grant Egmont)

Voting is now open for ages 12-20.

The wining books will be announced at the State Library in November.

Stay tuned for our Inky Awards: The Audience Prize announcement tomorrow.

 

Follow on twitter with the hashtag #InkyAwards.

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The Conversation

Myke Bartlett, Alison Croggon and Morris Gleitzman sat down with Annabel Astbury (Head of Digital Education at the ABC) to discuss the theme ‘Everyone’s a Critic’.

 

The conversation began with a question regarding creative versus emotional ownership. Is your readership audience entitled to an equal share in your character? One the one hand the author wrote the character. Every action and word they utter is a product of the author’s imagination. The character wouldn’t exist without the author. However in terms of having a character ‘live on’ past the books last page… well that’s all the reader. That’s their imagination and creativity. It’s an interesting, symbiotic relationship. Myke Bartlett spoke of an experience early on in his writing career. He was writing a chapter a week, podcasting the chapter to his audience and asking for feedback and comments that would then feed in to next week’s chapter. It changed the traditional solitary novel writing experience to a community project. The novel was shaped by his creative interpretation of the readers ideas. Fan Fiction feeds in to this idea of ‘attraction’ and brings up an interesting conundrum in the creative versus emotional ownership debate. The audience is taking an established character and extending the story in which they live in. Moving on from ownership debate was a question about the representation of YA in mainstream media. Sadly we were all unanimous in our agreement that YA doesn’t get much mainstream media play. What about an online presence? Does this make up for the lack of mainstream media? While blogs have allowed readers a forum to interact with books, authors and other readers like never before, it has had a detrimental effect on professional literary criticism. There’s a trend of making the professional literary critic an undervalued commodity when up against the vast and endless online reviewing sphere. Alison Croggon strongly believes professional literary criticism has contributed to the ‘cultural conversation’ in Australia. Morris Gleitzman would rather read a well thought out critical review of his book, rather than a polite generic sentence in the mainstream press. There was overall an agreement that criticism is necessary, but that the self-critic is the strongest and best voice to listen to.

 

Reading Lists

Fan Fiction Origins

• Cassandra Clare: used to write Harry Potter fan fiction
• Amanda Hocking: began writing Star Wards fan fiction, before moving to self-publishing and, finally, a publishing contract.
•  R.J. Anderson: began with Harry Potter, X-Files, Alias, Doctor Who… you name it and she wrote it.
• Meg Cabot: yes, you read that right. She started out in Star Wars fan fiction (what is it with Star Wars?!)
• S.E. Hinton: another yes, you’re reading this right moment. She openly writes Supernatural Fan Fiction (she focuses on what fans have called ‘wincest’)
• E.L. James: her famous trilogy originated as Twilight Fan Fiction.
• Neil Gaiman: Chronicles of Narnia and Sherlock Holmes Fan Fiction.

 

Myke Bartlett

• Fire in the Sea
• Salmon and Dusk (originally podcasts and the book Myke mentions in this panel regarding reader input).

Alison Croggon

• The Books of Pellinor series

1. The Gift
2. The Riddle
3. The Crow
4. The Singing

• Black Spring

Morris Gleitzman

• Once Series

1. Once
2. Then
3. Now
4. After

Morris has an extensive backlist, which can be found on the penguin website.

 

Join the Conversation

This winter, we’ll be revisiting the conversations that began at Reading Matters. Add your thoughts below, or join the chat on Twitter – use the tag #YAmatters.

 

Reading Matters is presented biennially by the Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library of Victoria – roll on 2015!

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Exciting news was afoot today – the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) announced the winners of their prestigious annual awards. In partnership with the Centre for Youth Literature, the Victorian chapter held an announcement event for their members, coordinating with CBCA branches around the nation to unveil the winning books.

And the winners are…

 

Early Childhood

• Winner: The Terrible Suitcase by Emma Allen (Illustrations by Freya Blackwood), Scholastic
• Honour Book: With Nan by Tania Cox (Illustrations by Karen Blair), Windy Hollow Books
• Honour Book: Too Many Elephants in this House by Ursula Dubosarsky (Illustrations by Andrew Joyner), Penguin Group

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Younger Readers

• Winner: Children of the King by Sonya Hartnett, Penguin Group
• Honour Book: Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French, HarperCollins
• Honour Book: The Tender Moments of Saffron Silk by Glenda Millard (Illustrations by Stephen Michael King), HarperCollins

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Older Readers

• Winner: Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan, Allen and Unwin
• Honour Book: The Inky Bridge by Neil Grant, Allen and Unwin
• Honour Book: Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield, Text Publishing

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Picture Book

• Winner: The Coat by Ron Brooks and Julie Hunt, Allen and Unwin
• Honour Book: Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon, Penguin Group
• Honour Book: Sophie Scott Goes South by Alison Lester, Penguin

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Eve Pownall Award for Information Books

• Winner: Tom the Outback Mailman by Kristin Weidenbach (Illustrations by Timothy Ide), Hachette
• Honour Book: Lyrebird! A True Story by Jackie Kerin (Illustrations by Peter Gouldthorpe), Museum Victoria
• Honour Book: Topsy- Turvy World: How Australian Animals Puzzled Early Explorers by Kirsty Murray, National Library of Australia

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Crichton Award for Emerging Illustrators

• Winner: A Forest by Marc Martin, Penguin Group

 

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Books were verbally flying through the air at this year’s Reading Matters events, with suggestions for great reads pouring in from authors and audience alike.

We’ve rounded up some of the top titles and inspirational authors mentioned by our Reading Matters panellists: first up, Raina Telgemeier, Gayle Forman and Tim Sinclair treat us to a range of action-inspired contemporary fiction, graphic novels and verse.

Raina Telgemeier Recommends…

• Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley
• Barefoot Gen: A Cartoon Story of Hiroshima  by Keiji Nakazawa & Art Spiegelman
• Calvin and Hobbes, any volume, by Bill Watterson
• For Better or For Worse, any volume, by Lynn Johnston
• Bone, any volume, by Jeff Smith

 

 

Gayle Forman Recommends…

• Melina Marchetta (Saving Francesca)
• Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door)
• Sarah Dessen (The Moon and More, Just Listen, The Truth About Forever)
• Jennifer Smith (You Are Here, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight)
• Adele Griffin (Loud Awake and Lost)
• Nova Ren Suma (Dani Noir, Imaginary Girls)
• Paul Griffin (Ten Mile River, Stay With Me)
• Holly Black (The Curse Workers series)
• Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park, Fangirl)

 

 

Tim Sinclair Recommends…

• Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban
• Jar of Fools –  graphic novel by Jason Lutes
• V for Vendetta –  graphic novel by Alan Moore
• Ruby Moonlight –  verse novel by Ali Cobby Eckermann

 

 

 

 

These recommendations were put forward by the panellists during their Reading Matters event, Action! Read a summary of the discussion >

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Catch up with all of our Reading Matters blog posts >

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Young adult literature continually stretches the boundaries of genre but what about medium?  In bringing a writer, a poet and a graphic novelist together, the notion of stories for young adults can be explored across mediums to the heart of the matter – the truth.

Panellists:   Gayle Forman (If I Stay, Just One Day); Tim Sinclair (Run); Raina Telgemeier (Smile, Drama)

Moderated:  Adele Walsh, Centre for Youth Literature

Summary:

Is young adult literature a genre or readership?

Sinclair: “It’s just awesome.”

Truth and daring were two phrases that arose time and again during the Action! panel.  Whether prose, poetry or picture form, the authors felt that their stories needed to be believable and true to their core audience.  In the end, their responsibility is to write true stories about the teen experience.

The wants and needs of the adults that impact teens’ reading weren’t the goal.  This was further tackled with the discussion on use of objectionable language – Sinclair responded to objections from adults about his use of swearing“…poetry is about playing with language, and if swearing isn’t language then I don’t know what is.”  Forman summarised what she and her peers do in exacting terms: “I write for young people, but not young stories.”  What was clear – it’s not about the age of the reader, it’s about the story.

The inclusion of characters who are from the LGBTQI community, sometimes viewed as problematic by some gatekeepers, was addressed. Telgemeier stated her belief that gay characters depicted in pictures seems to be more confronting for people than just in writing. Adults need to remember “…kids are the same, not matter where they are from. They worry about the same things across any boundaries.”

Courage in the face of adolescence was a strong theme with the panel’s protagonists but when has this transposed to real life?  Sinclair dismissed the idea of bravery but concentrating on writing what the book needs.  Forman initially believed ‘If I Stay’ to be unpublishable and pushed on regardless.  Telgemeier was told that comics for young girls would never sell.  Each of the panel, like their characters, demonstrated perseverance and a strong belief in themselves to achieve success.

There was a constant theme of belief.  We need to hold strong to stories about all kinds of teens, not what we want for them.  Find the books that speak to them, not you.  “… getting new books in about more recent issues we’re faced with now.  Because the things we’re dealing with now aren’t the things people were dealing with 50, 20 years ago.” 

 

 

 

Recommended Reads

Catch up with the top titles our panellists recommended during this event >

 

 

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“I didn’t realise what a book could do for you – it’s an amazing piece of technology”

UK author Keith Gray

Every second year, Reading Matters comes to Melbourne: a joyful, exciting and buzzy celebration of literature for young people. We also take Reading Matters on the road: in 2013, the Centre for Youth Literature presented events with partners in Geelong and Brisbane.

This June, our Reading Matters program brought together 17 authors and artists from Australia and around the world, with well-loved writers on stage alongside blazing new talents. From the art of writing and the industry of publishing, to debates on portrayals of sex, sexism, death and religion, Reading Matters proved a focal point for debate and discussion about the issues and trends that affect young people.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be looking in detail at those conversations, throwing the spotlight on some heated topics and introducing you to the authors that tackled the tough themes.

Talking with Teenagers

This year’s Reading Matters youth program saw authors appear at events for over 1,000 teenagers, answering questions about how stories are constructed, where ideas come from and why exactly it was that Garth Nix had chosen to kill off a particular beloved character. An unofficial Morris Gleitzman fan club threatened to raise the roof off the building with their cheers while queues for John Flanagan to sign copies of his Ranger’s Apprentice series wound around the building.

 

Reading Matters 2013: In Summary

At the heart of Reading Matters sits the two-day Conference, designed for youth literature professionals and enthusiasts and featuring a mix of debates, keynote talks and performances. Visiting from Edinburgh, Melbourne’s sister City of Literature, Carnegie-nominated author Keith Gray provoked gales of laughter and serious contemplation in equal measure with his keynote address Gatekeepers: the Good, the Bad and My Mother.

Brooklyn-based graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier and Melbourne’s own Sarah Howell gave us illuminating glimpses into the processes of writing and illustration, creating comics live on stage, while games writer and former Freeplay director Paul Callaghan talked about how the narrative structures in digital games can tackle difficult subjects like depression.

New York Times bestseller Libba Bray, along with Fiona Wood and Myke Bartlett, stirred the audience and spread the revolution-in-process on the significance of gender in youth literature. A recurrent theme throughout the conference, it is a conversation that has been continued in the media, with articles in The Guardian and Hypable.

 

Join the Conversation

This winter, we’ll be revisiting the conversations that began at Reading Matters. Add your thoughts below, or join the chat on Twitter – use the tag #YAmatters.

 

Reading Matters is presented biennially by the Centre for Youth Literature at the State Library of Victoria – roll on 2015!

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It was with great pleasure today that we kicked off Reading Matters with the able assistance of the State Library of Queensland (SLQ).  American graphic novelist Raina Telgemeier and Sydney based YA poet Tim Sinclair arrived on the sunny shores of Brisbane to present for youth service librarians in the cozy, and arty domain of SLQ.

Today celebrated the first time in its twenty years that a Reading Matters event has occurred outside of Victoria.  Traditionally there is a regional component to the conference, however this is the first professional (and student day) to transplant over interstate lines.

After a kind introduction, the proceedings began with an introduction of Raina.

 A few things we learned about Raina Telgemeier (Smile & Drama) and her process:

• Drama was originally written as a high school story but aged down to match same readership as Smile.
• Some American parents found the addition of two gay characters quite upsetting.
• Raina on who she writes for “…I write for the girl I used to be.”
• Right now she’s reading Lucy Knisley’s ‘Relish: My Life in the Kitchen‘ – a graphic novel memoir about a teen who’s parents are a chef and a gourmet.
• “Creative people change the world.”  No truer words may have been spoken.
• Each of the Babysitter’s Club adaptations took a year to create.
• At university Raina studied illustration where many of her main pieces became a series of frames depicting a story.

Tim Sinclair, of the recently released parkour poetry title Run, was next to the stage.

• Tim spoke about the correlations between concrete poetry and parkour which share an appreciation for strong shapes.
• To demonstrate this relationship Tim used a series of photographs that showed the beauty of the parkour movements.  He then followed this with strong concrete poems that left an impact (see right – entitled Ampersand).
• Tim joined parkour classes which resulted in some impressive physio bills.
• We all learned the difference between free running and parkour – the former is flashy and trick focused with the latter being the most efficient movement over difficult terrain.  Parkour’s the one you would use if you were running for your life….like the protagonist of Run, Dee.

 

After lunch we broke into groups for some youth services brainstorm groups.  Discussions were had on effective use of authors in library settings, the perfect library space and off the wall workshops for teens.

How could you build on authors being in your library though workshops?

• magnetic poetry
• concrete poetry
• writing on walls, floors and windows
• poetry dice
• tagging words with emotions, genres
• zines – to sustain – low tech
• ripping up paper and creating new words, sentences
• 3D concrete poetry – jump over, through it
• word splat
• visual imagery using words and pictures (eg Alice in Wonderland wallpaper)
• overcoming adversity (fear of poetry) – set boundaries – theme – word motif
• post it notes create images that reflect themes
• being part of a club
• poems in the wild (Melbourne)
• Gamification eg using social media
• spine out poetry on Tumblr, Instagram etc
• Blog poetry – Tumblr

Dave Roman (graphic novelist behind Astronaut Academy, Raina’s other half) kindly drew some comics of these perfect library spaces to which each group was then asked to program to that space.

What resulted from a comic that depicted library as a place to smell, touch and break e-books?

• smelly poetry “smelletry” – poetry written with scented pens and paper
• black out poetry
• raised letter poetry
• recycled poetry
• shaving cream poetry
• use of garden spaces – flower beds, sticks and soil, rocks to create garden poetry

…this flowed into the concept of a poetry garden, wordscaping or ‘wordscape’.  A program built around exploring poetry in a tactile sense.  The above ideas could be a series of sessions for all ages.  Work that resulted could be crafted into an installation, a word garden, a word tree, etc.  When the program would end the poems could be given a second life through a bonfire, compost, repurposed poetry, creating new paper to make new poems.

What resulted from a comic that depicted perfect libraries in the sky or underground, where you can wear anything you want or even a virtual library?

A program around teens designing their own perfect library.

• design workshops
• focus groups on space
• author visits
• community engagement – architect, interior designers, CAD systems designer, graphic artist as well as support from the council.
• collages of how the space is used
• draw possibilities into the space whether observations or dreams

It was a day of much discussion about the state of children’s and youth literature as well as the librarians that make the connection between young people and the book that will ignite a love of reading.

Thank you to all the staff at the State Library of Queensland and all the attendees that helped make the panel and the brainstorms such a collaborative experience.

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2013 Text Prize

The shortlist for the 2013 Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing was announced this morning with four talented authors chosen from 350 submissions.  This all female line up at in competition for the $10,000 prize.

The winner is to be announced on Wednesday, 29th of May.

 

The shortlisted authors are:

• Waer by Meg Caddy
• Lost Vegas by Jo Hegerty
• Elizabeth and Zenobia by Jessica Miller
• Flood Damage by Diana Sweeney

Short synopsis of each of their titles can be found here.

 

Patrick Ness – Exclusive Melbourne Event

The Melbourne Writers Festival hosted the fantastic UK author extraordinaire Patrick Ness  for an event at the Athenaeum Theatre.

Why attend?  If you’re love a good book  this man is the guy to see.   Also, the entire Centre for Youth Literature team will be in attendance so you know it is worth the journey!

Ness  is the magnificent imagination behind the Chaos Walking trilogy which won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Carnegie Medal.  His latest release, The Crane Wife, is “… a wise and romantic story about the creative imagination and the redemptive power of love.”

More information can be found here.

Where: Athenaeum Theatre, 188 Collins St, Melbourne

When: Monday – May 20th, 6.45-7.45pm

Cost: $20 ($12 concession)

 

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Melbourne’s exploding in YA awesomeness this week with many opportunities to rub shoulders with our homegrown talent!

An evening with James Roy

Thursday, 16th of May, 6-8pm

Come down to the City Library on Degraves Street to meet multi-award winning YA author, James Roy. The Children’s Book Council of Australia (Victoria branch) will be pulling out some wine , cheese and a fabulous speaker.  Who could ask for more?!

Click on the link to make your reservation to this free event.

 

Meet James Roy at The Little Bookroom

Wednesday, 22nd of May, 6pm

Make your way to the 769 Nicholson St, Carlton North store for some drinks with James and a good old chin way with those that are passionate about young adult literature.  The Little Bookroom have started a monthly YA get together (Books & Booze) and its fantastic to have an author guest in their second event!

Free event, reservations directed here.

 

Fiona Wood’s Book Launch for Wildlife

Thursday, 23rd of May, 6.30pm

Have you been waiting on tenterhooks since Six Impossible Things?  Join Fiona at Readings Hawthorn for the highly anticipated release of her sophomoric title.  YA author extraordinaires, Cath Crowley and Simmone Howell, will be introducing Wildlife into the world and you can grab yourself a copy a week before its release!

Free, no booking required.  More information here.

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The Centre for Youth Literature has picked the brains of Australia’s YA publishers to gain insight into their work, and their titles. For the next few weeks we will be featuring interviews with a number of individuals on their work in YA publishing.

 Now to introduce….Claire.

I’m the children’s publisher at Pan Macmillan Australia, based in Sydney and responsible for commissioning, developing and producing a boutique list of titles, from junior fiction through to young adult.

What is the first book you worked on and in what capacity?
I was living in Cambridge, UK, and working for the literary magazine GRANTA. The first issue I ever worked on was GRANTA No. 19 – ‘More Dirt’. It was a who’s who of extraordinary American writers such as Richard Ford, Jayne Anne Phillips and John Updike.

Officially, I was the subscription manager but we were a very small team so everyone did a little of everything, such as proofing and actually pasting up the magazine (this was in the old days). I wasn’t very good at the pasting-up part and still remember the panic of searching for a paragraph I had accidentally chucked in the rubbish bin.*

What is the most anticipated release of this year?
This is an impossible question to answer in the singular so my most anticipated releases this year are GIRL DEFECTIVE by Simmone Howell in March, WILDLIFE by Fiona Wood in June, THE HOWLING BOY by Cath Crowley in September and the sequel to A CORNER OF WHITE by Jaclyn Moriarty in October.

Pan Macmillan has a year of magical YAs.

What are the popular themes in YA right now?
YA is such an elastic category but ‘voice’ and ‘heart’ are still as important as ever, regardless of the theme. As a reaction to the recent paranormal and dystopian deluge, ‘real teen’ fiction is possibly gaining more traction and GIRL DEFECTIVE, WILDLIFE and THE HOWLING BOY are all superlative examples of this.

Which fictional character would you like to be?
Oh no! Another singular question. Well, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. (I read this when I was sixteen and it was my first real experience of ‘voice’.) Or maybe Emma from Jane Austen’s Emma, or …

*I found it.

YA is magical, as has been your time on Read Alert.  Thank you Claire for sharing

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As you know, our Writer In Residence program over at Inside A Dog offers teenagers an opportunity to interact and workshop with authors.

Following is a line-up of our Writer In Residence program for the first 6-months of 2013. If you see a student’s favourite author, or perhaps are reading an author’s book, pop on by!

• February – Alyssa Brugman
• March – Myke Bartlett
• April – Raina Telgemeier
• May – Garth Nix
• June – Ambelin Kwaymullina

 

You’ll notice that from March to June we will be showcasing Reading Matters authors, who will be involved in the Reading Matters Student Day program.

Enjoy!

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The Centre for Youth Literature has picked the brains of Australia’s YA publishers to gain insight into their work, and their titles.  For the next few weeks we will be featuring interviews with a number of individuals on their work in YA publishing.
My name is Mary Verney and I am an editor at Walker Books Australia, a subsidiary to the world-renowned English publisher of children’s books. The Walker office is based in Newtown, Sydney and we publish everything from board books to YA fiction. It is my job to work with authors to make their manuscript the best it can be before it goes to print and enters the world. It is a wonderful job and I consider myself very luck to be part of such a great industry. I started out in retail, managing a book department for Myer in Brisbane. After completing a Diploma of Editing and Publishing, I moved to Sydney to work for Pan Macmillan as an editorial assistant. I’ve been working at Walker Books for three years, first as a junior editor, now as an editor.

What is the first book you worked on and in what capacity?
The first YA book I worked when I was a junior editor at Walker, was The Project by Brian Falkner. It is an action-packed adventure that jumps between modern-day Iowa and Germany during World War II. A lot of fact checking was required and that was my job. Around the same time I was proofreading the first of the Rosie Black Chronicles, Genesis.

What is the most anticipated release of this year?
I’d have to say the second book in The Tribe series – The Disappearance of Ember Crow. I’m working on the manuscript at the moment, and it is wonderful – it starts with a bang, and the stakes just couldn’t get any higher for our protagonist Ashala and her Tribe. The author, Ambelin Kwaymullina, has really stepped up the pace in this second novel and the reader will be hooked from the very first line! It is being published later in the year.

What are the popular themes in YA right now?
I think dystopian fiction has knocked the vampires off their perch. The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf has done really well; readers have connected with Ashala and her struggle and are also intrigued by the elements of spiritual wisdom that Ambelin has woven throughout the novel. Lara Morgan’s series The Rosie Black Chronicles is another fantastic take on the fictional future of Australia and has been very popular. Both books have environmental themes and that is quiet a hot topic.Many novels for the YA readership deal with belonging. Finding out who you are and where you fit in is such a big part of entering adulthood that it will always be something writers of YA fiction explore. I love novels like Little Sister by Aimee Said and Cinnamon Rain by Emma Cameron for their exploration of friendship, family and belonging.

Which fictional character would you like to be?
Oh, that is a hard question … I think at the moment I’d have to say Georgie Spider from The Tribe series. Her ability – to see various possible futures – is pretty amazing. Plus she has a calm dreamy quality that I really like. She always knows the right thing to say as well, which is a great trait to have. Plus I’m really keen to see where her character goes over the course of the series.

A big thank you to Mary for her time away from editing what is sure to be a great addition to the Australian YA scene.

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The Centre for Youth Literature has picked the brains of Australia’s YA publishers to gain insight into their work, and their titles.  For the next few weeks we will be featuring interviews with a number of individuals on their work in YA publishing.

 

Why hello, I’m Stephanie Stepan, Children’s and YA publicist over at Text Publishing. You may not know me, but I’m certain you know our authors!

We publish children’s and YA authors such as Rebecca Stead, Paula Weston, David Levithan, John Green, Sally Rippin and Vikki Wakefield. Now, we publicists are a tricky breed to pin down. A large part of our job goes on behind the scenes where we organise things like interviews and reviews that later appear in magazines, newspapers, online and on radio and TV. You can also find us with authors at events and writers’ festivals around the country.

What is the first book you worked on and in what capacity?
The first book I worked on was an absolute gem called WHEN YOU REACH ME by Rebecca Stead. I consider myself very lucky to have worked on this book as a publicist. Firstly, it’s not every day that book like this lands on your desk and secondly, Rebecca Stead may just be the nicest author ever. If you haven’t yet had the joy of meeting Miranda in Rebecca Stead’s WHEN YOU REACH ME I suggest you don’t wait a minute longer. And I’m certain you’ll also love Georges, the narrator of Rebecca’s latest novel LIAR & SPY. He really is the most remarkable spy.

What is the most anticipated release of this year?
Where to begin? I note that this question seems to be asking for a singular title, but you can’t very well ask me for just one! Here at Text Publishing we can’t stop talking about Alyssa Brugman’s first YA novel in several years, ALEX AS WELL (Feb 2013). Refreshing and fearless doesn’t even begin to describe this unforgettable book. We’re also counting down the days until the release of debut author Tim Hehir’s JULIUS AND THE WATCHMAKER (May 2013). It’s a fabulous time-travel adventure set mostly in Victorian era London. If you loved Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret or Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan, then this book is for you.

As you can see, we love our home grown novelists here at Text, and this coming June we’re celebrating the best in Aussie writing with the Text YA Classics series.  Watch our for long-time favourites such as Joan Phipson’s The Watcher in the Garden, Ivan Southall’s Hill’s End, Patricia Wrightson’s I Own the Racecourse and Nan Chauncy’s They Found a Cave.

What are the popular themes in YA right now?
I’m seeing huge enthusiasm for really strong contemporary YA such as Vikki Wakefield’s ALL I EVER WANTED and her breathtaking second novel FRIDAY BROWN. 18-year-old Steph Bowe’s new novel ALL THIS COULD END (March 2013) is another really impressive example of this genre: witty, insightful and highly original. Like me, you may also find yourself with a bit of a crush on loveable geek Spencer.

You’ve probably also noticed a lot of love for New Adult. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure if this is really all that different from the YA we know and love. I feel like it could just be a new found excuse for older readers to join the YA fan club. And of course, all welcome.

Which fictional character would you like to be?
It took me all of an eye blink to find my answer to this question. And then I couldn’t stop smiling (ok, maybe blushing) at the thought of it. You can turn me into Gaby Winters any day. You probably know Gaby as one of the sassy lead characters in Paula Weston’s SHADOWS (Book I of the Rephaim series). Sure, she can kick-ass with some pretty top fight moves, but all I really want to do is hangout with the hottest boy in town, Rafa. The frisson between Gaby and Rafa has all our hearts racing at Text HQ and, for anyone who loved SHADOWS, there is a sensational scene in Book II, HAZE (June 2013), that really does require a fan while reading.

 

A big thank you to Steph for sharing what excites her about young adult literature and the interesting titles soon to hit the shelves.

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Poetry can be a stumper for many teachers so why not take advantage of Australian Poetry’s professional development?

Australian Poetry presents: Teaching poetry in the senior years with Elizabeth Campbell.

These workshops are designed to make teachers confident and excited about teaching poetry in years 11 and 12. Using the poetry set on the VCE Unit 4 exam, Elizabeth Campbell will work with participants to develop a ‘thinking curriculum’ approach to poetry, focussing on higher-order thinking.

Teachers will leave the workshops equipped with extensive notes and resources on the poets studied, and practical skills for teaching poetry in the senior classroom. Suitable for experienced and beginning teachers of VCE.

Elizabeth Campbell is both a teacher and one of Australia’s most exciting younger poets.

Find more information here.

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The Centre for Youth Literature has picked the brains of Australia’s YA publishers to gain insight into their work, and their titles. For the next few weeks we will be featuring interviews with a number of individuals on their work in YA publishing.  Join us every Tuesday as we gain insight into the Australian YA publishing industry.

 

My name is Jennifer Kean and I’m the Publicity Manager at Hardie Grant Egmont. There is a lot of variety in my role, particularly because of the way our company is structured. I am working across a variety of titles from picture books, junior fiction series through to stand alone YA fiction. These lists are both local and UK originated releases, so the publicity requirements for these books and their authors and illustrators differ greatly.

My job description involves tailoring publicity plans or campaigns to best suit the title that I’m working on. I look after publicity for our books across Australia and New Zealand.

I work with a variety of media – newspapers, magazines, teacher and librarian journals, industry publications, as well as TV and radio – to get review coverage, media coverage and interviews.

I also work with contacts at many bookstores, schools and libraries as well as a number of writing festival committees and publishing industry groups to organise book launches, book signing events and author/illustrator appearances.

What is the first book you worked on and in what capacity?
Go Girl! was the first series that I worked on in a publicity capacity back in 2008. I organised two back-to-back events at Readings, Hawthorn and Readings, Carlton. We were celebrating the launch of our Go Girl! HQ merchandisers with in-store “Draw Yourself as a Go Girl” events.

 

What is the most anticipated release of this year?
Our crossover-YA romance series Smitten is one of our hottest releases for 2013. These stories about adventures in far off places, amazing new jobs in glamorous cities and finding romance along the way, will sweep you off your feet and keep you up late at night. Just like any new crush should! We will be publishing 9 titles by the end of the year, each supported with an extensive marketing and publicity campaign.

 

What are the popular themes in YA right now?
Romance is a huge trend right now, whether it’s the falling over your high heels kind of love featured in Smitten or a sweet, quirky romance captured so well by Melissa Keil in her debut novel Life In Outer Space. I suspect most publishers will be looking at releasing YA romance titles that don’t have a vampire or werewolf in sight, particularly in light of the success 50 Shades of Grey had in the adult market last year.

 

Which fictional character would you like to be?
Tatiana Metanova from Paullina Simon’s ‘The Bronze Horseman‘ historical fiction trilogy. Her heroic spirit and the powerful love that she has for Alexander Belov triumphs over the devastation of a country at war. It’s a heart-stopping love story… aaah if only Alexander wasn’t just alive on the pages!

 

Thank you so much for your insight, Jen!

 

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We are very excited to announce our incredibly diverse and supremely talented author line up for the 2013 Reading Matters program:

Libba Bray (USA)
Gayle Forman (USA)
Raina Telgemeier (USA)
Keith Gray (UK)
Tim Sinclair (NSW)
Paul Callaghan (VIC / UK)
Fiona Wood (VIC)
John Flanagan (NSW)
Alison Croggon (VIC)
Myke Bartlett (VIC)
Morris Gleitzman (NSW)
Ambelin Kwaymullina (WA)
Garth Nix (NSW)
Andrew McGahan (VIC)
Gabrielle Williams (VIC)
Vikki Wakefield (SA)

For more information on all our authors you can visit our biographies page.

More information on the conference, student day and special evening event (including bookings) can be found here.

 

Accommodation

We are pleased to announce that Reading Matters attendees can access special accommodation rates at select Accor hotels.

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Earlier this week the American Library Association announced their 2013 Youth Media awards, sparking immediate discourse on Twitter and listserv about the winners and honorees.  Being Australian leads to some unfamiliarity with these American titles, however I found myself reading the thoughts of many American librarians.  Their arguments were scarily familiar– the notion of literary quality versus teen appeal.

Is the priority in these awards to recognise the best writer?  Awards committees have an established list of guidelines in which to follow – it makes sense that a title’s literary qualities are more easily quantifiable.  A writing award should go to the best writer.  Good writing elevates young adult literature. However, in arguing for the best piece of literature, we sometimes eliminate books that resonate more strongly with teen readers.

Many librarians expressed dismay that some of the awarded titles would gather dust on their bookshelves despite vigorous booktalking and elaborate displays. Which begs the question – is the concept of quality made null and void if there is no hunger for what is being awarded?

Many readers read books that are the equivalent of Fruit Loops while growing up, yet will move onto works of literary genius.  Some readers like to dally in each end of the reading pool, some like the deep end, some do laps churning through everything.  Teens know what quality is.  They just prefer it when quality is also enjoyable to read.

It is nigh on impossible to sell a book to a teen if it doesn’t sell itself.  Quality or not, there needs to be a plot or a concept that ignites a spark.  Quality isn’t a selling point to a teen and this is something we need to remember as adults.  We might be over paranormal or dystopia, they aren’t.  We might choose to reference  Ferris Bueller in order to spark their interest, they probably haven’t heard of it.  At some point, we need to divest ourselves from the equation.

While teens are represented in the title of an award, they should also be a part of the award criteria.  Young adult literature is for teens.  That should count for something.  While we have a vested interest in cultivating taste, and having teens read about social injustice and inclusivity – sometimes teens just want to read what they want to read.

While quality is important, so is the teen reader’s engagement with reading. There are many authors who achieve this, John Green’s Looking for Alaska, Cath Crowley’s Graffiti Moon, or Markus Zusak’s The Messenger.  I am cautious of award winning books that have an “issue” clearly stated in the blurb.  Good writing for teens isn’t about an issue, it’s about living, loving and surviving.  It’s about bravery, and yearning, and sacrifice.  It’s about growing and changing, not learning.  It’s about feelings, emotions and the every day difficulties of ping ponging between who you are and who you want to be.  It’s these books, without social agenda, that connect.  It’s these books that fulfill teenage readers.

Quality in youth literature should represent exceptional writing, emotional awareness and a representation of a young person’s experience through an authentic gaze.  Some people will read this and believe I am a proponent of dumbing down teen’s reading.  This is not true.

Every year the Centre for Youth Literature hosts the Inky Awards, a teen’s choice award.  Teens have a strong voice in the longlist of ten Australian and International titles, and are primarily responsible for the shortlist and the ultimate winner.  The adults who oversee the teen judging panel usually approach the task assuming the teens will choose along popularity, quality-lite books.  They come away knowing they are wrong, and reevaluate their thoughts on teen readers and their perceptiveness.  Previous Inky winners, as decided by teens, have included John Green, James Roy, Simmone Howell, Jenny Downham and Lucy Christopher    Teens have taste, and quality ones at that, so why is teen appeal so often dismissed as popularity?

Why are adults deciding what is quality teen literature?  Where are all the judging panels that have teens sitting alongside librarians or teachers?  Often awards from teens are separated from the big awards.  Where is the teen representation for the Printz, The Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the Year or Prime Minister’s Literary Awards?  If awards are for teen literature, shouldn’t the audience be represented?

 

Adele Walsh is the Program Coordinator for the Centre for Youth Literature promoting ways and means to encourage young people to read for pleasure. Adele is an avid YA reader and advocate, and a successful YA blogger (Persnickety Snark). She has previously worked as a teacher in Australia, and Japan.

@CentreYouthLit

 

 

 

 

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In the early hours of this morning the American Library Association (ALA) announced this year’s Youth Media awards.  What follows are the award winners and shortlists for young adult orientated categories.

Which ones have you read?

 

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature:

The One and Only Ivan –  Katherine Applegate

Three Newbery Honor Books:

• Splendors and Glooms –  Laura Amy Schlitz
• Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon – Steve Sheinkin
• Three Times Lucky –  Sheila Turnage

 

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America – by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkey

Two King Author Honor Books:

• Each Kindness – Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
• No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller –  Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory

 

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

In Darkness – Nick Lake

 Four Printz Honor Books:

• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe –  Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• Code Name Verity – Elizabeth Wein
• Dodger – Terry Pratchett
• The White Bicycle – Beverley Brenna

 

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences:

• Caring is Creepy –  David Zimmerman
• Girlchild –  Tupelo Hassman
• Juvenile in Justice –  Richard Ross
• Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore –  Robin Sloan
• My Friend Dahmer –  Derf Backderf
• Pure –  Julianna Baggott.
• The Round House –  Louise Erdrich
• Tell the Wolves I’m Home -  Carol Rifka Brunt
• Where’d You Go, Bernadette? -  Maria Semple

 

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults:

Tamora Pierce is the 2013 Edwards Award winner. Pierce was born in rural Western Pennsylvania in 1954. She knew from a young age she liked stories and writing, and in 1983, she published her first book, Song of the Lioness. She continues to write and even record her own audiobooks. She currently lives with her husband (spouse-creature) and a myriad of animals in Syracuse, New York.

 

Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States:

The Fault in Our Stars –  written by John Green and narrated by Kate Rudd.

Three Odyssey Honor Audiobooks:

• Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian – written by Eoin Colfer and narrated by Nathaniel Parker
• Ghost Knight –  written by Cornelia Funke and narrated by Elliot Hill
• Monstrous Beauty –  written by Elizabeth Fama and narrated by Katherine Kellgren.

 

Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Awardgiven annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe –  Benjamin Alire Sáenz

 Four Stonewall Honor Books :

• Drama –  written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
• Gone, Gone, Gone –  Hannah Moskowitz
• October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard – Lesléa Newman
• Sparks: The Epic, Completely True Blue, (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie - S. J. Adams

 

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens:

Seraphina  - Rachel Hartman

Four other books:

• Wonder Show – Hannah Barnaby
• Love and Other Perishable Items – Laura Buzo
• After the Snow –   S. D. Crockett
• The Miseducation of Cameron Post –  emily m. danforth

 

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults:

Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon –  Steve Sheinkin

Four other books:

• Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different – Karen Blumenthal
• A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 –  Phillip Hoose
• Titanic: Voices from the Disaster –  Deborah Hopkinson
• We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March – Cynthia Levinson

For the entire announcement, including the awards aimed at younger audiences, click here.

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We lost one of Australia’s most prolific contributors to Australian children’s literature  this week.

Jan Ormerod was one of our most distinguished illustrators, with a career spent working with some of the great names of children’s literature, both Australian and international.

Born in W.A., Jan went to live in the U.K. in 1980, returning to Australia as often as possible with her family.  Her first book, Sunshine, a beautiful and evocative wordless picture book written in 1982 after the birth of her first child, won the Mother Goose Award, the Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book Award and was highly commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

Her output was prolific, and across the years she both wrote and/or illustrated 79 books. Amongst many other awards, she received an IBBY Honour Diploma, Illustration in 2006 for Lizzie Nonsense, another CBCA Award for Maudie and Bear, illustrated by Freya Blackwood, in 2011 and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, Children’s Fiction in 2011 for Shake a Leg, written by Boori Monty Pryor, our first Australian Children’s Laureate.

Jan’s work was charming, witty and full of energy and that carried over into her words and illustrations. To quote her own words: ‘Telling a story with words and pictures is a little like watching a movie, then selecting the evocative moment, like a still taken from a film.’

She will be sorely missed.

Photo Credit: CaringBridge.com

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The Age is currently doing a Summer Reading series focussing on each of the Inky Award shortlisted titles. With online extracts, readers can get a taste for some great Young Adult books.

First up was Em Bailey’s Shift, winner of the 2012 Gold Inky and a ‘moving feast of fantasy and friction’.

Today’s title is Kirsty Eager’s Night Beach, ‘skimming the surface of darkness’.

The remaining shortlisted titles from Australia and overseas will be featured across the next eight days, so stay tuned to The Age’s Book section!

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There always seems to be a sense of trepidation when you are about to read a favourite author’s new book. There is, of course, excitement, but in the back of your mind there is that niggling fear that it may not be as good as the previous one, or even worse… different!

I fell beneath Gayle Forman’s spell when voraciously reading the story of Mia and Adam in If I Stay (2009) and Where She Went (2011). Forman constructs characters that crawl out from the page and into your chest cavity, where they play havoc. Your heart accelerates or plummets with a line of dialogue, a small gesture, or the realisation that what comes next isn’t on your list of predictions.

I am pleased to say all this is true of her new novel, Just One Day (to be released in Australia on 16th January). Some might be saddened that the story of Mia and Adam has concluded but I was racing to know Allyson in all her emotionally restrained glory.

We meet Allyson on the last day of her very structured, parent-approved tour of Europe. What is meant to be a celebration of the end of high school and the start of a new era (college) is soul sucking and uneventful… until she spots Willem. What results is the first impetuous act of Allyson’s life and the broadening of her horizons as she falls in love with Paris, and Willem. The beauty of this dynamic is that there are many signposts that Willem might not be the gleaming light that Allyson wants him to be. But Forman vividly creates a world, a twirling mass of romance, beauty and lust, which makes her protagonist and the reader fall deeply.

It makes the thump to earth real. The early-on revelation that Willem has deserted Allyson, and the readers, is made all the more painful.

At first Just One Day comes across as the simple tale of girl meets boy but it’s what occurs after boy leaves girl that lifts Forman’s deft touch to a new level. Allyson plateaus after the Paris debacle; she numbs herself at college failing to make connections with others and her classes. She is heartbroken and checked out.

Just One Day could be all about Willem but its strength is how this boy is used as a way for Allyson to find her way without him. There is relief in her final movement from inertia to living, her decision to break away from her suffocating mother, make her own life choices and grapple with the fissure that has developed between her and her childhood best friend. These story points ring entirely true – that shift that occurs after school is over and people begin to drift. Sometimes sharing a past isn’t enough to keep the ties that bind tight.

Just One Day is a character rich exploration of that time in life when you need to re-examine who you are. It’s about shifting focus and redefining what you want and how you want to get it. It’s about clarity, and love, and heartbreak, and angst. It’s the reason I love reading Gayle Forman’s world.

Random House 

Gayle Forman will be a guest at the 2013 Reading Matters conference.

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The Centre for Youth Literature is pleased and privileged to have recently welcomed Anna Burkey to our team, as the Reader Development Manager at the State Library of Victoria:

When you come to a new country, the best way to begin to understand your new home is to soak up the stories – read the books, see the plays, join the libraries. I was already in love with Craig Silvey’s compelling Jasper Jones, with its gothic take on growing up in a regional mining town, but now I’ve arrived in Australia from the cold crags of bonny Scotland, I’m eager for more great Aussie YA reads..

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Kirsty Eager’s dreamy Night Beach opened up surfing culture before I found myself in the Fremantle heat and the long, warm nights of Myke Bartlett’s mythical Fire in the Sea, chased by the Minotaur through the dark streets.

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Em Bailey’s Gold Inky-winning Shift gave me the shivers, introducing me to the supernatural at the same time as Australian high school life, while Vikki Wakefield’s haunting Friday Brown gave me an aching sense of isolation, with its wide open spaces and the lonely Silence..

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I perked up with Nathan Jurevicius’ wordless graphic adventure Scarygirl and was far too excited by my discovery of Nicki Greenberg’s Hamlet – her adaptation of The Great Gatsby was a joyous discovery on a previous visit to Melbourne.

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There are many more books on my reading list for 2013, from catching up with classics like Margo Lanagan’s Tender Morsels to devouring Tim Hehir’s forthcoming Julius and the Watchmaker. I’m always on the hunt for great poetry and fabulous storytelling – recommendations are welcome!

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The Book

You won’t find Life of Pi on the Young Adult shelf in any bookstore, but there’s no significant reason why it shouldn’t be. It follows Piscine (Pi) Patel as a young boy growing up in India, and the bulk of the book is devoted to Pi’s time as a teenager – specifically, his time spent adrift at sea in a lifeboat, with a tiger.

Pi’s story does have moments of great violence, and great sadness – but no more so than you’d find in a YA book by Sonya Hartnett, Margo Lanagan, or Suzanne Collins.

Life of Pi is literature, and very good literature, as testified by its collection of awards (including the 2002 Man Booker prize). This is certainly no reason to exclude it from a YA audience, but could well be why adults are so keen to claim it as their own. (Being first published in Canada in 2001 may well be another factor. I am, quite frankly, ignorant on Canadian book publishing and marketing tactics.)

The book is brilliant. Pi is recounting his great story (and other, smaller stories that are not without their own moments of greatness) to the author. It is recorded diligently in first-person, but is occasionally littered with the author’s asides as he offers observations on Pi’s manner, appearance, and the like. True to its implied aural roots, the storytelling is melodic in rhythm, vivid in imagery, and intense in emotion. Reading it is akin to lying down on a sheltered beach and having the waves lap at your heels (slowly drowning you with the rising tide). The plot is a little slow in the middle, but by that stage you are too far immersed in the journey, and by the end you are glad you hung on because the resolution is challenging and haunting. It is a story that begs to be shared, a book that opens dialogues and stimulates conversation.

Regardless of how you choose to classify it, Life of Pi is already enjoyed by the occasional teen, and with the release of the film it’s a great opportunity to recommend the book to any (older) teen readers interested in art, magic, story-telling, animals, religion, survival, adventure, heart-ache, and/or humanity.

The Film

Life of Pi is about as perfect as adaptation gets. A few characters condensed here, some emotional stakes increased there… just a few tweaks that are essential in translating the written word into an engaging visual performace. And oh what a performance it is!

All four actors that play Pi Patel across his various stages of life portray him perfectly – from a questioning boy, to an anguished teen, to the zen-like repose of a man who has survived troubled times. When you spend over an hour with Pi almost-alone in a boat - severely geographically and conversationally restricted – you’re going to need some fine acting to portray the kind of inner emotional journey that character is experiencing. Suraj Sharma definitely provides it.

Similarly, you’re going to need some fine CGI (or some very talented animal wranglers) to have that kind of Bengal tigal on-screen time. Again, Life of Pi delivers. It has amazing footage and digital effects that not only bring a whole zoo to the screen, but a whole character to life in Richard Parker (the infamous tiger). As well as making animals real, director Ang Lee delivers an utterly saturated, beautiful cinemascape of life at sea. 3D is used to the best effect I’ve ever seen – it is not flashy or showy, but instead provides depth to the ocean and distance to the horizon.

For those that have read the book, the film is impressively tactful in placing subtext throughout the film that hints at the story’s ending, without partiality or didacticism. For those that haven’t read the book, it’s definitely a film that will reward multiple viewings. The story of Pi – both in book and film - offers us a choice. What message we take from that is up to us. For myself, I find significance in the ideas that art is beauty, and belief is powerful.

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Great 2012 read*:

See You At Harry’s by Jo Knowles

I blubbered and balled my way through Fern’s story. And it isn’t because it was 270 pages of darkness and misery – although there is a big event that is quite sad – I cried even in the sweet happy moments. It was just one of those books. I have spent an inordinate amount of time wishing myself in to Jo Knowles brain so that I may nudge her in to making Harry’s a series. A never ending series. Christmas is a time for miracles, so who knows.

I’m always impressed by Knowles depth of characterisation; there are no cheap lines or trite words. Every pause, every word adds fullness to the character and means something to the reader.

Pleasantly surprised by:

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

On face value it’s a New Adult romance novel with a male protagonist. At it’s heart it is so much more. I was most impressed with SLN’s depiction of a family dynamic. Writers can often fall in to the category of making parents evil or neglectful to justify the teenage protagonist being at odds with them. Doller doesn’t fall on such tropes. She invests time in to fleshing out the complicated, and often contradictory, relationships children have with their parents.

Shadows by Paula Weston

I know I know, I’m only allowed one choice… but I’m a book rebel. Shadows was being gifted with tags such as Paranormal Romance and New Adult. I’m highly suspicious of both categories. Paranormal Romance is the IT category to write in over the last few Twi-years and as such found itself swimming in a books-gone-bad feel. New Adult is a category that is extremely new and I don’t feel anyone has really got a handle on yet. Is it about the protagonist’s age? Is it about college? What is New Adult. I’m not too sure I still know.

Regardless what Shadows finds itself labelled under, it distinguished itself with great writing, intriguing characters and an action-packed plot. I was engaged in every moment of the text, and I venture that your teenage audience will be too.

Most anticipated for 2013:

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis

I was pretty much a goner when I found the blurb description:

Take eleven-year-old Timmy Failure – the clueless, comically self-confident CEO of the best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation. Add his impressively lazy business partner, a very large polar bear named Total. Throw in the Failuremobile – Timmy s mom s Segway – and what you have is Total Failure, Inc., a global enterprise destined to make Timmy so rich his mother won t have to stress out about the bills anymore. Of course, Timmy’s plan does not include the four-foot-tall female whose name shall not be uttered. And it doesn’t include Rollo Tookus, who is so obsessed with getting into “Stanfurd” that he can t carry out a no-brain spy mission. From the offbeat creator of Pearls Before Swine comes an endearingly bumbling hero in a caper whose peerless hilarity is accompanied by a whodunit twist.

So I went internet-stalking and found Timmy Failure’s facebook page and blog. I was in love!

 

*Other than Broken, my ’2012 Looking forward to’ pick from last year’s post, as I have already read and reviewed it on our website and wanted to showcase a greater range of 2012 reads.

 

 

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This time last year I was raving about John Flanagan’s new Brotherband series, and Margo Lanagan’s latest gut-punching fantasy, Sea Hearts (aka The Brides of Rollrock Island, for you overseas compatriots). I am still a vocal supporter of these titles, but I expect you to have read them by now. (You have, right? …Right?) So here’s some fresh ink to sink your eyeballs into, and get your giddy on over:

Great 2012 read:

Quintana of Charyn

Melina Marchetta

Quintana of Charyn is the sort of book you just want to hug, because not only do you love it but it loves you back. You laugh together, you cry together, and, most importantly, you spend quality time with characters you’ve been journeying with throughout Finnikin of the Rock and Froi of the Exiles. Marchetta gifts her readers an utterly satisfying (ie as perfectly devastating as it is heart-warming) finale in this last instalment in the Lumatere Chronicles. Full review here.

 

Pleasantly surprised by:

Fire in the Sea

Myke Bartlett

Does anyone else get that nervous little flutter in the pit of their stomach when they pick up a book by a debut author? What will it be like? Will their voice be fresh and original? Could this be love? Yes. Yes it is.

Fire in the Sea has the action and visual strength of a movie, and all the character depth and elegance you could hope for from the written word. It is fantasy as it should be – wild and bloody – which is why I’m thrilled that we’ve just announced Myke Bartlett will be one of the authors featured on our 2013 Reading Matters program.

Full book review here.

 

Most anticipated for 2013:

The Howling Boy

Cath Crowley

The Howling Boy is slated for release with Pan Macmillan in September 2013. It’s so far away, there isn’t even a cover image available yet. Or a synopsis. But that doesn’t mean I’m any less excited. It’s a new book from Cath.freaking.Crowley – author of the destined-to-be-a-classic Graffiti Moon. An author that just gets teenagers. And emotions. And life. (Or, at least, manages to write about them in a way that seems like she does.)

Apparently, The Howling Boy will be a mystery and a love story, with dual narrators. AND it will feature an appearance from Graffiti Moon‘s Ed and Lucy. Can I get a squee?

SQUEE.

 

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