Reading Matters at SLQ

27th May 2013  |  By

IMG_2295It 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. Read the rest of this entry »

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Prizes and Patrick…yes please

15th May 2013  |  By

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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Where to get your dose of YA events this week!

9th May 2013  |  By

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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Know a keen teen reader? We’re looking for Inky Award Judges

18th April 2013  |  By

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I have this post-it note beside my computer, because it’s something I can never be reminded of enough. Teens are smart. Teens are discerning. And a lot of them love books.

The Inky Awards are all about celebrating the best of new young adult releases – and facilitating the teen voice in what makes a great book for teens.

If you know an enthusiastic teen reader, we want to hear from them. Teens aged under 20 can now apply to be a 2013 Inky Award judge. The successful applicants will receive the twenty longlisted books (titles announced 1 June), but in return they have the (un)enviable task of selecting just ten of those books for the shortlist.

Applications to be a teen Inkys Judge close 30 April.

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PD Opportunity: Teaching Melina Marchetta in the Secondary Classroom

15th April 2013  |  By

Penguin Teachers Academy has been offering a broad range of professional development courses throughout 2013 and we couldn’t help but mention this one.

Taking place in Melbourne on the 2nd of May, the PTA workshop

“… will allow participants the opportunity to hear Melina Marchetta speak about the use of her novels in a classroom setting and share a vast array of activities, ideas and assessment tools for use in your classroom or library.”

It’s a well known tale that Marchetta is a former English teacher who had to teach Looking for Alibrandi to her own students at one time.    Also on the program is Laura Gordon, experienced teacher and academic in all things children’s literature.  Who better to learn from?

More information here.

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2013 Ethel Turner Prize

11th April 2013  |  By

It has been a busy week on the Australian literary scene with the shorlist announcements for CBCA early in the week and the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Awards today.

Congratulations to all the recognised writers, it was surely a difficult decision for the judging panels.

Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature shortlist:

  • Three Summers  - Judith Clarke (A&U)
  • The Ink Bridge – Neil Grant (A&U)
  • Sea Hearts – Margo Lanagan (A&U)
  • A Corner of White  - Jaclyn Moriarty (Pan Macmillan)
  • Into that Forest – Louis Nowra (A&U)
  • Unforgotten – Tohby Riddle (A&U)

The younger readers are also represented on the NSW PLA radar with the Patricia Wrightson Prize for Children’s Literature .

The shortlist is as follows:

  • The Ghost of Miss Annabel Spoon – Aaron Blabey (Viking)
  • Brotherband 1: The Outcasts  - John Flanagan (Random House)
  • Pookie Aleera is Not My Boyfriend  - Steven Herrick (UQP)
  • A Bear and a Tree – Stephen Michael King (Viking)
  • The Tender Moments of Saffron Silk: Kingdom of Silk Series 6 – Glenda Millard with illustrations by Stephen Michael King (HarperCollins)
  • Dragonkeeper Book 4: Blood Brothers  - Carole Wilkinson (Walker Books)

The winner of each category will be announced at the Sydney Writers’ Festival on the 19th May.

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2013 CBCA Book of the Year Awards – shortlist / notables

9th April 2013  |  By

CBCA Logo Hi ResAt noon today the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) announced their choices for the best books of last year.  Notable lists in each category were released at 9am with the shortlist following.

Book of the Year – Older Readers

  • The Ink Bridge by Neil Grant (Allen & Unwin)
  • Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin)
  • The Shiny Guys by Doug MacLeod (Penguin)
  • Creepy & Maud by Dianne Touchell (Fremantle Press)
  • Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield (Text Publishing)
  • The Wrong Boy by Suzy Zail (Walker Books)

Notables list

Book of the Year – Younger Readers

  • Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French (HarperCollins)
  • Other Brother by Simon French (Walker Books)
  • After by Morris Gleitzman (Penguin)
  • Children of the King by Sonya Hartnett (Penguin)
  • Pookie Aleera is Not my Boyfriend by Steven Herrick (UQP)
  • The Tender Moments of Saffron Silk by Glenda Millard (HarperCollins)

Notables list

Congratulations to all those recognised by the CBCA.

The winners will be announced on the 16th of August with the Victorian announcement taking place at the State Library of Victoria.

Remember you can see Vikki and Morris in action at the Reading Matters conference (31 May- 1 June 2013).  Place still available.

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Reading Matters – the conference program is LIVE

26th March 2013  |  By

MR-RMThe Centre for Youth Literature is happy to announce that the Reading Matters conference program is LIVE.

Follow the link to the webpage of the schedule with a downloadable PDF available at the bottom.

Four international YA authors.

Twelve Australian YA authors.

Three presentations.

Nine panels.

And the INKY AWARD LONGLIST is unveiled!

We look forward to seeing you there.

 

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Graphic novels light up classrooms

7th March 2013  |  By

Graphic novels bring together word and picture in the most splendid of ways.  In fact it was the Doctor himself, Seuss I mean, that said that “Words and pictures are yin and yang. Married, they produce a progeny more interesting than either parent.” 

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) announced today that the multi-award winning Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman is joining the prescribed text list.  Narrative has always been absorbed in a myriad of ways and the Centre for Youth Literature is delighted that the VCAA have brought the graphic novel into the mix for students.

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Interview: Susannah Chambers (Senior Editor), Allen & Unwin

5th March 2013  |  By

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.

Let’s welcome Susannah Chambers, the Senior Editor for Books for Children & Teenagers at Allen & Unwin.

As a Senior Editor, I provide editorial feedback and support to the author; develop ideas and take part in discussions and brainstorming regarding list-building and commissioning; read and read and read manuscripts; manage production from manuscript to printed book, including liaising with authors, designers, typesetters, printers, and in-house staff; direct design of cover and text; write cover blurbs and other marketing copy as required. I am responsible for helping the author make the book the best it can be. The process of shepherding a book from manuscript to beautiful new book can be quite mysterious for writers being published for the first time. On our blog Alien Onion we have attempted to demystify this process by a series of posts entitled What do Editors Do All Day.

Read the rest of this entry »

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