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This morning the Children’s Book Council of Australia announced the 2014 shortlists and notables in each of the categories.

• Early Childhood
• Eve Pownall
• Younger Reader
• Older Reader
• Picture Book

Titles from the 2013 calendar year are nominated by their publishing houses and each of the state judges are whisked away for days until they decide each of the winners, honours, shortlists and notable lists.

The Older Reader category (aka Young adult) notable list features thirteen Australian authors of YA fiction.

Congratulations to the six talented authors gracing the 2014 CBCA Book of the Year Award (Older Readers):

• The Incredible Here and Now  – Felicity Castagna (Giramondo)
• Life in Outer Space  – Melissa Keil (Hardie Grant Egmont)
• The First Third  – Will Kostakis (Penguin)
• Fairytales for Wilde Girls - Allyse Near (Random House)
• Wildlife - Fiona Wood (Pan Macmillan)
• The Sky so Heavy -  Claire Zorn (UQP)

The winner will be announced during Book Week, 16 – 22 August 2014.

The Children’s Book Council of Australia (Victorian branch) held their 2014 Claytons Dinner on Tuesday evening at Trinity College, Kew.  For those unaware, the Claytons are the predictions from local experts on the CBCA Book of the Year Award Categories.  The event takes its name from a non-alcoholic beverage and advertising campaign (1970s-80s)  as it is not quite the real thing.

The Older Readers category (Young Adult Fiction), as predicted by our very own Anna Burkey, were as follows:

• Wildlife by Fiona Wood (Pan Macmillan)
• Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near (Random House)
• The Sultan’s Eyes by Kelly Gardiner (Harper Collins)
• The Tribe: The Disappearance of Ember Crow by Ambelin Kwaymullina (Walker Books)
• The Whole of My World by Nicole Hayes (Random House)
• Cry Blue Murder by Kim Kane and Marion Roberts (UQP)

Honorable mentions:

• The First Third by Will Kostakis (Penguin)
• Run by Tim Sinclair (Penguin)
• Jump by Sean Williams (Allen and Unwin)

You can find the picks for Younger Readers (Middle Grade), Picture Books and Early Childhood on this Storify of the event.

Upcoming Events:

There are many more of these events across Australia should you like to hear about other knowledgeable bookish types on the best titles of 2013.

• Shortlist Showcase in Canberra took place on 12 March.
• Claytons Evening: Ballarat 19 March
• The Night of the Four Judges in Brisbane: 26 March
• Anticipate, Appreciate, Applaud in Sydney:  8 April
• And the Winner is… in Adelaide: 7 April
• There are no equivalent events we could identify in Tasmania, Western Australia or Northern Territory.

Make sure you check out these events!

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.

1. Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards

Congratulations to the authors shortlisted for this year’s Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. The Writing for Young Adults shortlist is:

• All I Ever Wanted by Vikki Wakefield
• The Shadow Girl by John Larkin
• Shiny Guys by Doug MacLeod

We are honoured to have Vikki Wakefield in conversation with Fiona Wood (author of Six Impossible Things) here at the State Library of Victoria on Tuesday, 28th August. The event is free, but bookings are required: click here for more information.

2. Calling all entries

The John Marsden Prize for creative writing by those aged 24 years and younger is open once again. It’s one of the biggest prize pools for writing specifically by young people. Entries close 3rd September, so get writing now!

3. Young Adult Championship

Have you been keeping up with the Kill Your Darlings championship? So far 7 of the 11 championed titles are up (here), and don’t forget to vote for your chance to win an amazing pack of YA titles.

4. Gamifying classical literature

Oxford University Press is digitising and gamifying classical children’s literature (including Alice in Wonderland and Arabian Nights) to entice and engage young readers. Do you think the development is really a “strawberry” or just more chocolate-covered broccoli?

5. What grown-ups can learn from kids’ books

This utterly delightful article expresses perfectly how good books have no age limit on them. One of my personal favourites to re-read is Sonya Hartnett”s The Ghost’s Child. What are yours?

6. Resources for the writers

Got some older teens struggling to tie-up their creative writing? This piece tells you what not to do.

Kelly Gardiner defends adverbs. (Hey, if JK Rowling can work with them…)

And Hazel Edwards (yes, that Hazel Edwards) shares some worthy advice on how you might actually be able to make some money from it all.

1. 2012 Text Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing 

Congratulations to A.J. Betts, whose manuscript Zac and Mia has won the 2012 Text Prize. Zac and Mia, is a contemporary novel that deals with serious illness and friendship, and will be published in August 2013.

Last year’s winning book, Fire in the Sea by Myke Bartlett is released this week. (Seen our review?)

2. 2012 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards

Congratulations to Robert Newton, whose novel When We Were Two has won the 2012 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for young adult fiction.

3. Catching Fire casting news 

Does this man look like Finnick Odair? Rumours say yes.

4. Championing YA

Esteemed journal Kill Your Darlings has announced an online championship of favourite Australian YA books. Not only can you vote for your favourite (from July 30), but if you do you’ll go in the running to win an awesome prize pack.

Champions include Centre for Youth Literature founder, Agnes Nieuwenhuizen, CYL Program Coordinator Adele Walsh, CYL Learning Programs Officer Jordi Kerr, and the mother of Inky (and an award-winning YA author to boot) Lili Wilkinson.

5. You’ll never get into this clubhouse

Brontë sisters action figures – these historical heroes are determined to get their books into print!

1. The importance of sex in YA books

It’s a controversial (and trigger-laden) topic, and this blog post by YA author Foz Meadows is sure to stimulate discussion.

‘Sex/y scenes in YA matter because, by the very nature of belonging to a permitted form of media, they help to disassociate sex from surreptitious secrecy: they make it something open rather than furtive, something that rightfully belongs to you, the reader, because the book was meant for you to read and remember. It doesn’t matter if the scene is detailed or not, if it’s only fiery kisses or much, much more: the point is that you’re allowed to have it, allowed to enjoy it, and that perhaps for the first time in your life, you’re viewing something arousing that doesn’t make you out to be a sex object in heels, but an active, interesting heroine who also happens to have a love life.’

What do you think? Is there a lack, and a need for, positive sex/y scenes in YA novels?

2. You’re The Voice

We’re very excited about a brand new feature on insideadog.com.au - You’re The Voice will host a different teenager each month, showcasing their thoughts on reading and writing.

Our very first contributor is Chelsea, a 15 year old from Victoria. She tackles the tricky topic of popular fiction:

‘What I am upset about is that readers do not go out of their comfort zone when it comes to reading and that they go on the opinions of others, and I believe that you will not know how you really feel about it until you read it for yourself.’

3. Anne-with-an-e meets generation Z

A Canadian comany wants to reboot Anne of Green Gables for the modern audience, and is shopping for international partners to assist with the development.

4. Making the Queensland Literary Awards Pozible

In April it was announced that the Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards would be discontinued. In response, a Queensland Literary Awards Committee has come together and launched a Pozible campaign to keep the awards going (sans-Premier). A month and a half, and just over $7,500 to go…

5. 2012 Davitt Awards for Crime

The longlist for the 2012 Davitt Awards has been announced. Congratulations to the following Children’s & Young Adult authors:

•  J.C Burke, Pig Boy (Random House)
• Ursula Dubosarsky, The Golden Day (Allen & Unwin)
• Susan Green, The Truth about Verity Sparks  (Walker Books)
• Jacqueline Harvey,Alice-Miranda at Sea (Random H
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This week hasn’t just been about the CBCA Book of the Year shortlists but also the 2012 Eisner Awards.

For those unfamiliar, the Eisner Awards are focused on comics and are judged by peers (comic creators, journalists, artists and writers).  CYL is often asked for recommendations in graphic novels so why not check out past nominations and recipients of the Eisner Awards in the young person categories?

Best Publication for Young Adults (Ages 12-17)

Anya’s Ghost, by Vera Brosgol (First Second)
Around the World, by Matt Phelan (Candlewick)
Level Up, by Gene Yang and Thien Pham (First Second)
Life with Archie, by Paul Kupperberg, Fernando Ruiz, Pat & Tim Kennedy, Norm Breyfogle et al. (Archie)
Mystic, by G. Willow Wilson and David Lopez (Marvel)

**Not surprised Anya’s Ghost made the list – it has been overwhelmingly received by comic creators, librarians and teachers alike.  In fact it made CYL’s graphic novel book list recommendations last year.

Best Publication for Kids (ages 8-12)

The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold, by Sholly Fisch, Rick Burchett, and Dan Davis (DC)
Amelia Rules: The Meaning of Life … And Other Stuff, by Jimmy Gownley (Atheneum)
The Ferret’s a Foot, by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue (Graphic Universe/Lerner)
Princeless, by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin (Action Lab)
Snarked, by Roger Langridge (kaboom!)
Zita the Space Girl, by Ben Hatke (First Second)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)

Beauty and the Squat Bears, by Émile Bravo (Yen Press)
Benjamin Bear in Fuzzy Thinking, by Philippe Coudray (Candlewick/Toon Books)
Dragon Puncher Island, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf)
Nursery Rhyme Comics, edited by Chris Duffy (First Second)
Patrick in a Teddy Bear’s Picnic, by Geoffrey Hayes (Candlewick/Toon Books)

To celebrate the announcement of the 2012 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award this week’s book list looks at authors rather than specific books. Here are some of the awesome past winners of this prestigious award. Most, if not all, are household names. They deserve to be.

One of the richest awards in Children’s literature – the prize money is a whopping $700,000 – the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award was established in 2002 by the Swedish Arts Council.  Set up with the aim to increase interest in children’s and young people’s literature and to promote children’s rights to culture on a global level, the award boasts a stellar line up of recipients in its ten-year history.

1. Maurice Sendak. His Where the Wild Things Are is one of the all-time greats of children’s literature. Everyone knows the story of naughty Max, who heads into a fantastical land chock full of monsters, has many adventures, and still gets home to a warm supper.

Random House Australia

2. Phillip Pullman

Best known as the author of the bestselling and highly acclaimed His Dark Materials trilogy.  If you haven’t already come across the potent mix of fantasy, science, religion (or not, as the case may be) it’s time to embark with Lyra on her adventures.  Start with Northern Lights.

Scholastic

3. Sonya Hartnett

Ever since she started her writing career as a teenager, Australia’s Sonya Hartnett has been an award winner. Sleeping Dogs won the Miles Franklin Award, Thursday’s Child won the UK’s Guardian Children’s Fiction Award and The Silver Donkey won the CBCA’s Book of the Year Award for Younger Readers.  My pick of her work is Butterfly, a disturbing story of an obsessed teenage girl and her sinister relationship with an older woman. The last few pages are heart breaking.

Penguin

4. Guus Kuijer

This year’s winner of the Astrid Lindgren certainly beat a strong field. Neil Gaiman and Quentin Blake were both in the running, as were fifteen others.

Guus Kuijer is a Dutch author, who has twice won prestigious Children’s Literature awards in Germany, as well as four times in his home country. He has written over thirty books, many of which deal with social justice issues. The best known is The Book of Everything, which is set in 1950s Holland and tells the story of Thomas and his abusive father.

Scholastic

This is a quick competition post. Hopefully some of your students will feel the creative flare, especially with the added incentive of the prizes!

Alan Marshall Short Story Award

Entries open: Friday 17 February 2012
Entries close: Monday 7 May 2012
Award Ceremony: Saturday 18 August 2012

For enquiries, contact Jane Woollard on
9433 3126 or email [email protected] .

There is more information on Nillumbik Shire Council’s website

Ekphrasis Poetry Project

A new look at an ancient art form.

Poets will be invited to respond to twelve artworks from the Nillumbik Art Collection. Twelve poems will be selected for a series of postcards featuring text and images.

Entries open: Thursday 8 March 2012
Entries close: Monday 30 April 2012
Awards Ceremony: Thursday 21 June 2012.

For enquiries, contact Jane Woollard on
9433 3126 or email [email protected] .

Are you an author seeking to use the vast  - and I mean vast – resources of the Sate Library of Victoria in your research?

Current recipients of the Creative Fellowships each received $12,500 for three months of study, and as you can see from the list, their work involves a wide range of topic material.

• Nam Le – research for a novel treating, in part, with 20th century Vietnam
• Jenny Grigg – illustrated book on contemporary book design, Cover stories
• Joanna Drimatis – book manuscript, Rediscovering hidden treasures: the music of Robert Hughes AM
• Stephen Banham – book manuscript, I’ll have what he’s having: finding the voice of Australian graphic design 1930-1970 (working title)
• Antoni Jach – artist’s book, In ruins: Luxor and Thebes past and present
• Kevin Childs and Emily McCulloch Childs – book manuscript that tells the scarcely-known stories of Aboriginal resistance leaders, Warriors on the frontier
• Linden Lyons – book manuscript, Thomas Denton Clarke: his chess problems and the Melbourne Leader in the 19th and 20th centuries
• Lucy Fahey – animation on Victoria’s past and present loiterers, A history of loitering

To see the many famous names who have won fellowships over the years, go to: http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/our-community/fellows-scholars/creative-fellowships/past-recipients-creative-fellowships