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The Dromkeen Medal: Call for Nominations

The State Library of Victoria, home to the Scholastic Dromkeen Collection of Australian Picture Book Art, is pleased to be coordinating the national Dromkeen Awards, comprising the Dromkeen Medal and the Dromkeen Librarian’s Award. The Library is currently calling for nominations for the Dromkeen Medal.

The Dromkeen Medal is bestowed annually in recognition of outstanding contributions to Australian children’s and youth literature, and was established in 1982.  The Medal was previously awarded by the Courtney Oldmeadow Children’s Literature Foundation, based at the Dromkeen homestead in Victoria. A full list of past recipients can be found here.

Medal Nomination Process 2014

Nominations will be assessed by an independent panel, and the Awards made to coincide with Book Week, in August 2014.

Closing Date for Nominations: 16 June 2014.

DOWNLOAD: Dromkeen Medal Nomination form 2014

Nomination forms can returned by post or by email to:

Anna Burkey

Reader Development Manager

State Library of Victoria

[email protected]

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The Dromkeen Librarian’s Award celebrates significant contributions to the support of young Australian readers, and is presented to a teacher librarian, children’s / youth librarian or literature professional working in libraries. The award winner does not have to be a qualified librarian. A full list of past recipients can be found here. Nomination forms will be issued later in 2014.

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Dromkeen Exhibition

Once Upon a Time: a world of children’s picture book art is currently on display, and is the first Dromkeen exhibition to be held at the State Library of Victoria. The exhibition runs until August 2014, and is free to enter.

Further Information >

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

With a tagline like ‘celebrating the freedom to read’ is it no wonder bannedbooksweek.org is a favourite?

For thirty years banned book week been reporting on book censorship in America.

Hundreds of books have been either removed or challenged in schools and libraries in the United States every year. According to the American Library Association (ALA), there were at least 326 in 2011.  ALA estimates that 70 to 80 percent are never reported.

In 2011, the 10 most challenged books were:

ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

ttyl is a constant stream of IM chat, email and texts between three friends ‘SnowAngel’, ‘zoegirl’ and ‘madmaddie’. It’s a little of a shock to read as the language is expressed in a short hand that seems impossible, yet is a reflection of how teens are interacting online, and the topics discussed break the barriers of ‘polite’ conversation.

The Color of Earth (series), by Kim Dong Hwa
Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

A graphic novel that explores a daughter’s relationship with her mother, and the social ramifications of being a ‘single’ mother in Korea. The minimal nudity and implied sexual acts pales in comparison to the lyric-like qualities in the writing and the strength of the mother-daughter relationship.

The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence

A very popular series that has encouraged many ‘non-readers’ to open up it’s pages and delve into a world of action, adventure and romance. I find it interesting that in it’s ‘book’ format, The Hunger Games finds itself on the 10 most challenged book lists. In ‘movie’ format, it finds itself the number one box hit of 2012. This implies to me that there are two standards when a story is told. When in a movie format, the level of ‘violence’ is more readily accepted then in a book format.

My Mom’s Having A Baby! A Kid’s Month-by-Month Guide to Pregnancy, by Dori Hillestad Butler
Reasons: nudity; sex education; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

A children’s picture book that describes the experiences of Elizabeth, a soon to be older sibling as her mother goes through pregnancy. There is language about the human body, reproduction and child development. Some of the language, such as sperm, has caused parents to ask for the book to be banned from their libraries.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: offensive language; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit; unsuited to age group

Alexie chose to respond in the Wall Street Journal, in 2011, about the push to ban his book due to it’s content.

“I have yet to receive a letter from a child somehow debilitated by the domestic violence, drug abuse, racism, poverty, sexuality, and murder contained in my book. To the contrary, kids as young as ten have sent me autobiographical letters written in crayon, complete with drawings inspired by my book, that are just as dark, terrifying, and redemptive as anything I’ve ever read.”

With books that deal with such strong issues it can be quite confronting and distressing for some. When that is balanced against the children it has managed to reach because they know the same type of pain or humiliation or depression and find solace in knowing that they are not alone, then you need to make that book accessible to them.

Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Reasons: nudity; offensive language; religious viewpoint

A twenty-four strong series that explores the world through the eyes of Alice, who is on the cusp of becoming a teenager. There are cringe worthy moments of embarrassment, new friends, new love interests and a role model or two.

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit

When a book is 81 years old and still in-print, I find it shocking that people would still wish to ban it. It’s not longer just a work or fiction, but part of the history of fiction.

What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
Reasons: nudity; offensive language; sexually explicit

Another of those lighter books that explores being a teenage girl and all that entails. I’m extremely disappointed (although not surprised) that nearly all the books on this list involve women protagonists. It feels like we’re continuing a 1950′s women belong in the kitchen mentality. I have to question why women aren’t allowed to explore their sexuality and men are.

Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily Von Ziegesar
Reasons: drugs; offensive language; sexually explicit

Another book that has made itself onto the (not as) big screen. As a weekly television show for CW it sees millions of viewers. As a book it sees itself in the number 9 position for most banned books in 2011. Too rich teenagers, drugs, drinking and sexual encounters. It looks at it all.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Reasons: offensive language; racism

New rule; if a book has been in-print for 52 years, it also shouldn’t find itself on the most challenged book list. When complaints are made that To Kill a Mockingbird should be censored because of ‘racism’ I’m unnerved by the lack of comprehension of social commentary and injustice. When a book chooses to hold a mirror up to the law to demonstrate the social inequity that was part of American history… well I’m on board with that book.

The State Library of Victoria is currently asking the public to have their say on the future directions of the organisation in this period of change.  Even if you aren’t a regularly user – we want to hear from you.

It takes only five minutes and will help the Library determine its priorities in the future.  Think creatively and have your say.

The survey closes on October 24th.

Survey

To celebrate the Inky Awards, the Centre for Youth Literature is offering libraries and schools across Australia the chance to win one of two complete sets of the 2012 Inky longlisted titles for their library collection.

The winners will receive:

To be in the running all you need to do is share with us how your library or school is celebrating the 2012 Inky Awards. You can get creative by vlogging, hosting an Inky party, putting up an Inky display, or absolutely anything else you can think of!

The only condition is that your celebration needs to feature the 2012 Inky Awards, and an image of Inky in some way.

Attached are vector images of Inky – found here and here, which can be altered to fit an A2 print, and our Inky Award badges – gold found here and silver found here.

Entries open now until the 14^th of October. The Centre for Youth Literature team will judge. Winners will be contacted on the 22^nd of October and announced at our InkyFest on the 23^rd of October.

Terms and Conditions for participants:

Please note that by entering this competition you are agreeing to allow the State Library of Victoria to copy and reproduce your entry in a range of online and print media. This includes, but is not limited to, our websites (www.insideadog.com.au, www.slv.vic.gov.au), blogs, e-newsletters, press releases, and on social media networks (e.g. our twitter and facebook pages).

SLV employees are not eligible to enter.

Both schools and libraries are eligible.

As many of you know, over the last few months, the National Year of Reading has overseen a competition for readers aged 12 – 18 to respond to their favourite book in a creative way that promotes the book as a ‘must read’ for all their friends.

Managed by the Centre for Youth Literature on a website hosted by Good Reading Magazine, the competition received over 320 entries.

The judging panels in each state and territory have come back to us with their recommendations. All the panels pointed out how impressed they were at the high calibre and sheer ingenuity of many of the entries, and choosing eventual winners required considerable consultation.

However, a list was eventually arrived at, and you can see it here:

Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who sent in an entry. We hope you continue to read books, love them, and promote them to your friends!

Neryn is fifteen when her father loses her to a mysterious stranger in a game of chance. It is the final disaster at the end of a gruelling existence on the run from the King’s Enforcers, who are pledged to eradicate any form of magic from the kingdom of Alban.  Neryn’s grandmother experienced a mind-wrenching of the most brutal kind at the hands of an unpractised mind-enthraller, and Neryn knows her fate will be no better if she is caught.

Together with the mysterious Flint, who seems to go to great pains to conceal his true motive for winning her from her father, Neryn aims to reach Shadowfell, a haven for those fleeing the Enforcers. There, a group of rebels is arming themselves in defence against the King. Their aim is to establish a fairer peace in Alban, and to restore the Good Folk (faerie) to their  rightful place of  in the kingdom.

Neryn knows that she can see the Good Folk when others can’t, but she doesn’t realise that she has another gift; one that will literally move mountains …

This is a captivating and engrossing book – a classic fantasy tale of a heroine who is sure to draw readers to her. A loner by circumstance, Neryn is intelligent, observant, pragmatic and yet sensitive to all those about her (human and otherwise). Readers will also identify with her ambivalent feelings towards Flint, her rescuer. Just how disinterested is his concern for her welfare?

The advice she receives from the Good Folk makes Neryn start to question Flint’s motives, and her mistrust of him deepens when he reveals his position as one of the King’s men. So what should she do about her growing feelings towards him? The reader also comes to empathise with Flint – a man in an impossible place, who must do unspeakable things to avoid suspicion from those in power.

Surrounding this tentative romance is a beautifully atmospheric world where creatures come and go at will through the mist and rain that saturates the forests of Alban. Like many of Juliet Marillier’s books, Shadowfell is a book about different kinds of ’sight’ and the untrustworthy nature of surface impressions. It’s a theme that is brilliantly encapsulated in the stanie mon – folk who emerge, on summons, from the very bedrock of the land.

Younger fans of Juliet Marillier will be rapt to see a new book for YA readers – her last, Cybele’s Secret, was published in 2007, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a strong blend of history and fantasy with an indomitable heroine at its centre.

Shadowfell has many of the same qualities as the author’s acclaimed fantasy series for adults, and many an impatient reader will be tempted to head straight to the Sevenwaters series while waiting for the next instalment of the Shadowfell trilogy.

1. The 2012 Melbourne Writers Festival Schools Program is out.  If you want to get yourstudents to an array of workshops and presentations by top flight Australian authors, you’ll need to book early at the MWF website:

2.  Aussie students show their Net worth. It looks like Australian teenagers are world beaters when it comes to digital literacy. A  survey of 15 year olds from nineteen OECD countries places us second, after South Korea. Read more, here.

Our principals are also visiting Finland – which has a population roughly the size of Victoria – to see how they do things there. This article from The Age tells what they’ve discovered.

3. A new trend in libraries from Belgium?

Not really news, but for those librarians and readers who want to expand their horizons, here’a one of a series of pictures of an ‘outside’ library, handily situated next to a vineyard …

4. A reminder that the entries for the National Year of Reading’s Read This! creative reading competition have now closed.  There was an impressive array of entries, and the judging process has now begun.The winners will be announced on June 26 on the Centre for Youth Literature’s insideadog.com.au website, and also on the National Year of Reading’s website.

In celebration of the Fright Night Event (held in Queens hall last night), we thought perhaps today’s theme should be all about the creepy crawly feeling you get at the back of your neck.

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb.

A Certain Slant of Light is one of those affecting ghost stories that comes all from the writing. Whitcomb is a superior writer. She is able to create tension, drama and that ‘freaked out’ factor by having the freaky things (ghosts) be the terrified party of the sinister and unknown force. There is also a morality factor that plays into the novel, when Helen decides to ‘take over a body’. You feel everything Helen is feeling; he desperation to touch and be touched, warring with her belief that she may have extinguished the body’s soul.

Part thriller, part mystery, part romance, this is at the high end of YA. The ghosts are early 20 year olds who in habit the body of teenagers, so I would recommend airing on the side of caution and recommending this to your older teens.

Five Parts Dead by Tim Pegler.

Dan is recovering from a horrific car accident that killed four of his friends and questioning why he survives. You see, this isn’t Dan’s first brush with death. He’s had five. Stuck on a remote island for the summer, things start to get a little weird for Dan. What really sets you on edge in this story is knowing how much research went into the book… and, therefore, how much of it is true.

Text Publishing

The Darkest Power Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong.

Probably my favourite YA urban fantasy ever. It’s really hard to find good urban fantasy (especially now), so this series is an absolute must for any of your paranormal readers. Chloe is a necromancer. Seeing dead people everywhere, as necromancers do, sends her a one way ticket to a ‘home for troubled teens’. That’s when things start to get really weird and really creepy. The first book is a little light on the romance (for your paranormal romance readers), but encourage them to persevere because the by the second book we have a love square! It’s wacky, scaring, funny and full of action. It’s also an ensemble cast: werewolves, witches and necromancers are just the beginning.

Hachette.

The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot.

The great thing with Meg Cabot is you always know exactly what you’re going to get. Lots of witty dialogue, a few very awesome protagonists and a couple of hot boys.

Dark and creepy ghost story this isn’t. Fun and flirty it is.

Pan Ma

‘Verity’ is a young Scottish woman, who, shot down over Occupied France, winds up in the hands of the Gestapo. Trapped in the basement of a once-luxurious hotel, her fate is bleak – she knows they will shoot her after extracting every possible scrap of information from her, by dint of torture and deprivation. And if she does escape, it is more than likely she will be shot for collaboration. But who is she?

At first, she delays the inevitable, bargaining for pen and paper to write down what she knows.  As days go by, the story unfolds of her friendship with Maddie, a pilot, and the events that bring them to work for the British Government’s Special Operations Executive. Verity’s true identity is revealed to the reader in piecemeal fashion, plausibly building up a picture of an exceptional character, whose talents for language and coolness under pressure are perfect for the job.

As the days go on, Verity learns more about the nature of her captors, the coldly Orwellian Hauptsturmfuhrer von Linden, and his assistant, Anna Engels. Anna develops some sympathy for her prisoner, but is helpless to stop the systematic brutality inflicted on her. Von Linden is an entirely more disturbing entity: in truly chilling fashion, Verity likens his attempts to get the truth from her to the same impersonal interest he might take in dismantling a radio set. He, on the other hand, thinks she is broken and compliant. Is she?

When Maddie eventually tracks Verity down with the help of members of the local Resistance, a daring raid on the prison is planned. But before it’s carried out, a devastating event takes place, altering their friendship irrevocably.

I read this book in one sitting. At its heart is a small cast of complex characters involved in a ripper of an old-fashioned spy story where no-one really speaks the truth to anyone else.  Despite the at times exhaustive technical detail, it is a total page turner.

Given some of the content, this book could just as easily be a book for adults as for young adult readers. There are scenes of torture, told in a matter-of-fact way quite horrifying in its simplicity, that may take this out of the realm of younger readers, although some may not grasp the extent of the pain inferred in the description. There are also some complicated relationships – between prisoner and captors, between supposed allies, between leaders and their subordinates – which aren’t always easily explained.

At the heart  of the book is an enduring friendship between two young women whose ages are slightly obscure – my best estimate would be early twenties at the oldest –  who are prepared to sacrifice anything for each other. Unlike many books aimed at teenage readers, there is no external romance to dilute the intensity of this friendship – it’s mentioned that Maddie ‘doesn’t like men’,  although this is not elaborated on.

The other central mystery surrounds the information that Verity has produced. What effect will it have? Can she be trusted? Again, there is vague information, and much for the careful reader to grasp between the lines.

Just as in Michelle Cooper’s Montmaray trilogy, there’s a thoroughly researched background of wartime existence. Whether it’s the SOE operations barracks in England or the Resistance cell in France, it’s all so ‘real’ that the author has added a slightly tongue-in-cheek note at the end stating that she hasn’t broken the Official Secrets Act – the book is fiction.

There’s special delight for aircraft enthusiasts in the wealth of research behind the hugely exciting scenes of flight and combat. The reader can visualise the cramped and uncomfortable interiors of t

1. Fresh Fiction with Text Publishing

Based in Brisbane? Text Publishing is hosting a PD evening on 10 July with YA authors Richard Newsome, Sally Rippin, Paula Weston, and Paul Griffin. Children’s literature consultant Joy Lawn will also speak about these author’s books within the context of the classroom. For more information, and to book yourself a spot, check out their flyer.

2. Orange Prize no more? Here’s what The Guardian has to say.

It appears that the world’s most famous literary prize for women writers has just lost its funding.

Here in Australia, we’re trying to kickstart a similar award. The Stella Award aims to raise the profile of women’s writing and to offer an annual prize of $50,000. Read more here.

3. Prime Minister’s Literary Awards – Shortlists announced

As tweeted by CYL this weekend, the shortlists for Australia’s richest literary awards have been announced. For more information, go to this website. http://www.arts.gov.au/pmla

And check out Read Alert’s review on Bill Condon’s A Straight Line to My Heart, which is in the YA fiction shortlist.

4. From Slate to tablet.  BYOD – that’s Bring Your Own Device – to school.

Education has come a long way in just over a century.  Their grandparents would have used slates and pencils -these kids are bringing their own technology to school in one Melbourne suburb.  Find out more.

5. Stuck for a school trip idea? Why not take students to investigate one of the 100 sites included in this year’s Open House Melbourne? Open on July 28 and 29, the buildings include hospitals, churches and a cemetery.

Critically injured in a motorbike accident, Zara Wilson lies in a coma. She is caught between many worlds: the world of her hospital room and anxious family, and that of her memories and a dream-like fantasy where she searches for her brother Jem. Jem proves elusive but Zara s adventures in her subconscious unlock dark secrets of a troubled childhood. Zara must face up to her past in order to accept her future.

Recently I touched on this book in our Book List Friday segment (Coma List) and the tropes associated with the internal journey.

Broken could have easily turned into this year’s If I Stay; car/motorbike accident, dead family member(s), recollections of childhood memories, back dropped against protagonist’s struggle with the decision to live. The coma tropes. I expected the comic novel elements to provide it some distance from the general coma plot, but I didn’t foresee how distinguished Broken would make itself.

The comic world Zara enters to save her brother, Jem, is critical to Broken’s uniqueness. It wasn’t a gimmick. The comic world was essential to the emotional journey Zara was required to undertake before she could awaken. Even in this trope (the emotional climax coinciding with the physical awakening), Pulford is able to make her own. Searching for Jem in the comic world leads the reader to initially believe that her emotional journey will be the discovery of Jem’s death and her ultimate acceptance of this. This is not the case; as we are moved through the comic world we are constantly pulled out to relive Zara’s childhood memories. What we discover is a horrific episode from her past that she has kept secret from all except Jem. She entrusted all her trauma and shame to Jem, never acknowledging it again. Yes it is a journey of acceptance, but one of acknowledging damage of a past event, not a question of death.

To my eye, language and writing style is essential when you’re dealing with character driven novels. You can get away with average writing in high adventure, plot driven books as the constant activity doesn’t ask the reader to dwell. Novels, such as Broken, hinge on the character’s accessibility and the reader’s ability to connect and empathise. It takes a strong writer to keep the reader engaged with a single character.

I liked the bridging of two genres; graphic novel and traditional story telling. Admittedly it still fared better as a traditional story (it isn’t a fifty-fifty split) then a graphic novel, but beggars and all that. It is a unique concept, which worked well with the underlying plot, with fleshed out characters and a strong writing style. It’s a strong book dealing with the effects of kidnapping and molestation, without being explicit in detail.

Walker Books

Last month the third and final instalment of the Montmaray Journals was published. If the blizzard of comments on sites such as Goodreads is anything to go by, readers are loving it even more than its predecessors, which is praise indeed. ‘Saving the best for last’, said one excited reviewer.  ‘I can’t believe there won’t be any more,’ wailed another.

The FitzOsbornes at War takes up Sophie’s story at the beginning of World War II. To recap a little, their island kingdom of Montmaray is now occupied by the Nazis and Sophie has now moved from her aunt’s country home to live in London with her cousin Veronica, doing a ‘useful’ wartime job at the Ministry of Food.

Compared with others in her family, Sophie wonders if she’s doing enough for the war effort. Her cousin Veronica has work as an interpreter for top military and diplomatic personnel in Spain. Her brother Toby enlists in the RAF along with Simon, who is tortured by the knowledge that he routinely sends men to their deaths. When Toby goes missing over enemy territory, Sophie endures months of waiting for his eventual return, only to hear first hand the emotional damage his harrowing experiences have done to him. It is a sign of her inner strength that she is the only person he feels he can confide in.

There’s a terrific twist towards the end of the book, where a beloved character is killed while on duty – and it seems symptomatic of the book that Sophie’s own fate is somewhat downbeat – there is love, true, but it is expressed in terms of quiet contentment amidst irrevocable loss, rather than blazing passion. It’s quite an adult theme for a book aimed at teenagers – proof that this is a series which has the capacity to move effortlessly into crossover territory.

This book is even more of a treat for history lovers than its predecessors. The imaginary world of Montmaray features less in the story than previously, and while some readers may miss the fantasy element, most would agree that the action has now moved onto a much larger stage.  London is the centre of politics now, and readers will relish immersing themselves in the chaos of living through the Blitz, knowing they’re in the hands of a meticulous researcher. There are dances (and kisses) with servicemen, food rationing, ‘fake’ stockings, shelters in Tube stations to withstand the fury of the German bombs – all vividly recorded. You can smell the smoke and taste the chicory coffee.

But while the book is wonderfully researched, it’s still a perfect example for would-be-authors about the importance of not allowing place and time to overwhelm an emotionally involving story of one girl’s journey to adulthood and the love and loss she encounters along the way. Its success is borne out by the numbers of fans who are, more than ever, engaging with the central cast of characters and investing considerable emotion in their eventual fate.

‘How could you not love Sophie FitzOsborne?’ asks one reader. ‘And the rest of her family that made me LAUGH and SHOUT at my book through the entire trilogy?’ And another reader, echoing the sort of passion usually reserved for characters from Twilight: ‘I was kind of hoping Toby would be able to find someone else, because I am an eternal optimist.’ And, another: ‘I just want to sit here and gush about how beautiful it is. ‘

She’s right.  This is a book (and series) worth gushing over. Quite simply, terrific.

Random House

Source: Movieline

I cannot remember the first time I read Maurice Sendak’s work.  The truth of the matter is that I didn’t read it myself, it was read to me.  So long has his presence existed in my life that it that my memory cannot pin it down.

My knowledge of the man has not been great.  It didn’t need to be.  I lived through his words and art as a child, as an adult and finally as a teacher.

In 2010 I taught in Japan at an English preschool and the first book I read to them was a battered copy of ‘Where the Wild Things Are’.  I had slipped into my suitcase last minute before leaving Australia and that instinctive action made for wonderful classroom experiences with a bunch of three year olds that I will never forget.

We gnashed our terrible teeth at every opportunity.

Despite the language barrier (theirs and mine), we bonded over that book.  Max is universal.

It was with sadness last night that I learned of his death.  In the past year I feel that I got a sense of the man better with his appearance on Colbert - his curmudgeonly ways were endearing and so in tune with the edges that his collected work presented to the world.

RIP Maurice

“I cry a lot because I miss people. They die and I can’t stop them. They leave me and I love them more.”

― Maurice Sendak

We will continue to love you more.

Do you recognise any manga die-hards? The ones who lurk round the manga shelves at the library and are always looking for more?

Now’s the time to get them interested in the National Year of Reading’s Read This! creative response prize.  It’s so simple for anyone aged 12 – 18 to enter, as individuals or teams. Here’s what they need to do:

1. Go to the Read This! Creative Reading Prize website.

2. Check out the Prize pool – they could get their hands on some of these.

3. Check out the other entries … and most important:

4. Enter NOW.

‘ I run up the dunes with the wind howling at my back, my ears burning from its bite. It carries the sting of snow from faraway mountains and hooks under the tail of my surfboard so that I have to fight to keep it tucked under my arm… A line of surfers is strung out like a necklace, from the point, all the way down to the south bank… One day I’m going to paint this place. Probably from this very spot. But only when I’m good enough to capture whatever it is that makes my soul open up every time I see it.

Guess which Australian author wrote these amazing lines?

If you guessed Kirsty Eagar, whose debut novel, Raw Blue won the  Victorian Premier’s Award, give yourself a gold star.  This is the opening to her new book, Night Beach. The sea and the effect it has on those who live in close proximity to it is a recurring theme of her books, the second of which was Saltwater Vampires, which used the hideous tale of the Batavia and its crew and passengers as a launching pad.

In Night Beach the scene is once again contemporary, and as in Raw Blue, features a tough independent girl who lives for surfing – and for an unobtainable boy.  But Night Beach is an altogether darker experience for the reader than Raw Blue, mixing shadowy elements in with the uncompromising surfer-dude world. There are still bloody confrontations in the waves between local alpha males and the outsiders looking in, but Abbie faces a far more edgy relationship with Kane than Carly does with either Marty, the workplace Romeo or Ryan, the boy she really wants. There are more inexplicable moments of fear, more weirdness and unpredictability, and less promise of a happy resolution.

The writing has changed, too: In Raw Blue I can see the slightest hint of Puberty Blues, with its humour and down-to-earth descriptions brimming with physicality. Night Beach is altogether more unsettling, and will be appreciated by older teens and crossover readers.

Both books come from a well-populated area of Australian fiction where the beach and surfing culture play as big a part in the story as the characters themselves. Everyone knows about books such as Kathy Lette’s Puberty Blues and Tim Winton’s Breath, and rightly so, but there are many more books out there in Surf land worth a look.

Kirsty recommended these as a place to start:

Ocean Pearl and Starfish Sisters by CBCA award winner J C Burke. Starfish Sisters has been previously reviewed by us on Read Alert as ‘a thrilling ride.’

• Surf School and Surf Sisters by Laurine Croasdale, featuring four girls and the struggling surf school they’re trying to save.

Measuring Up by G J Stroud, described as a ‘modern day homage to Puberty Blues’.

And crossing into adult territory, Nine Parts Water by Emma Hardman, which looks at what happens to you once the fame bubble has burst.

Now into its second month of entries, the National Year of Reading’s Creative Response Prize, Read This! already has some impressive offerings to inspire others to enter.  The prize pool of limited edition signed manga, e readers and other merchandise is worth some $40,000, so it’s well worth the effort to encourage the teen readers in your life to put together a response with wow factor.

Here are a couple of samples.

1. Book trailer for ‘Before I Go to Sleep’

2.  A scrumptious response to Aprilynne Pike’s Wings.

For more inspiration every day, go to the ReadThis2012 website.

1. Hunger Games Fever Continued.

Last week’s Nielson Bookscan had Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Games holding seven of the top ten spots. An amazing feat, considering it’s a trilogy.

There’s a great article over at themarysue.com website titled Hunger Games’ Success & What it Means for Female Action Films

There’s also an article over at Jezebel.com that addresses some of the racist comments made by fans. Racist Hunger Games Fans are Very Disappointed. And another article over at Shikagoland.com about The Burden of Proof: Black Children and the Rejection of Innocence.

I admit to a large amount of shock and dismay.

2. YA Book Deals Break down 2011/2012

This is an American break down of the numbers, so take it all with a grain of salt. I was interested to see that contemporary is still holding steady, in terms of what is being published. Whether this is translating into market space is, perhaps, another matter.

3. Hachette Acquires Enid Blyton.

Hachette Children’s UK has just acquired the whole kit and caboodle of Enid Blyton works.

4. Websites to Note:

Kids Bookreview is a 100% voluntary children’s literature and book review site that supports and features authors, illustrators and publishers Australia-wide and internationally.

Walk A Book is Walker Books blog ode to The National Year of Reading.

5. A Show Don’t Tell Post to get you thinking.

A great post to have your students thinking about while over the holidays. Especially for any of those budding writers!

6. Harry Potter E-Books out now.

Apparently it’s being terms the ‘Beatles moment for ebooks’. Who knew?

Linked is a look at how Harry Potter ebooks have done wh

Last week’s booklist shone a light on the luminaries who have been awarded the world’s most lucrative prize for children’s literature, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Not surprisingly, publishers and readers tend to take an interest in winners of such awards, and this year’s winner Guus Kuijer’s works attracted attention at the Bologna Book Fair last week. Watch for a spike in sales over the weeks (and hopefully months) to come.

Translated books from other languages can be a bit hit-and-miss. The readability of the end product depends not only on the original author’s writing style but also on the interpretative intelligence of the translator. But the result can be spellbinding, justifying the faith of those publishers willing to risk thinking outside the English language box, and resulting in successful sales on a global scale.

Here’s a random list of a few such winners, some more obviously for children than others. I’m sure there will be many more to add to the list:

1. Inkheart (and sequels Inkspell and Inkdeath) by Cornelia Funke

Originally in German, this book was translated by Anthea Bell, who is probably more famous as one of the translating duo who took on the Asterix books.  It’s the story of Meggie, whose father, a bookbinder named Mo, has an unusual ability; when he reads aloud, he can bring characters and items from books into the real world. When Meggie was three years old, Mo read a book called Inkheart aloud to her mother, who promptly vanished into the Inkworld, replaced by three villains from the novel. Nine years later, these men have come back into their lives and Meggie’s and Mo’s lives will never be the same.

Chicken House

2. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafron

This is the first book by the author best known for the runaway bestseller The Shadow of the Wind, which, although marketed to adults, could very easily be read by teens. In this earlier example of his work you can see where the author is heading; it’s an intriguing mix of history, adventure and the inexplicable.

Max Carver, son of a watchmaker, has moved with his family from the city in order to get away from the war. Max’s new house was formerly owned by Richard Fleischman, his wife and son, Jacob, whose drowning remains an unsolved mystery. Over time, Max discovers a sculpture garden near his house, where strange things happen. Max finally makes a friend, Roland. But it is Roland’s grandfather, Victor, who has the answers to Max’s questions.

Zafron’s other book for YA readers is The Midnight Palace, which is described by the UK Guardian as ‘a blood-soaked story, set in Calcutta’.

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3. The Water Mirror by Kai Meyer (German title: The Flowing Queen)

Published in 2007, this book by one of Germany’s most famous authors is a success by anyone’s definition. It went into its third US printing before it was even delivered to bookstores and the British edition won the 2007 Marsh Award for Best Children’s Book in Translation.

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