1. Adaptations Galore: Neil Gaiman and Patrick Ness
Hot off the press is the news that Disney has acquired the rights to adapt Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. Henry Selick, who adapted Gaiman’s Coraline for the big screen, is attached to direct this latest feature.
The other big news of the week is that Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go is also being adapted. If you’ve never heard of it, you should fix that. Right now. It’s the first book in the Chaos Walking trilogy – part science-fiction, all dystopian, high concept, high stakes, high adventure. Film buffs are particularly excited about this news because the script is being written by Charlie Kaufman – writer of Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Synedoche, New York, among other achievements.
2. The Avengers
What are your thoughts on the latest box-office smash hit? If you’re a fan of using comics in the classroom, you might be interested in our graphic novels book list. This week’s particular hot comic tip is Journey Into Mystery (issue 622 onwards), which features a teenage Loki.
3. The Emerging Writers’ Festival
There aren’t a lot of writing festivals out there for the beginners. The Emerging Writers’ Festival, based in Melbourne, is one. (The National Young Writers’ Festival, held in Newcastle, is the other.)
The EWF have just launched their 2012 program, and we are thrilled to be supporting Fright Night – where some great authors, including YA stars Leanne Hall, Doug MacLeod, and Tim Pegler, will share their spooky stories.
If you’re interested in the festival but aren’t in Melbourne, keep an eye out for the EWF’s digital program.
4. Stop What You’re Doing and Read This!
Agnes Nieuwenhuisen takes a look at a new collection of essays about reading.
5. The Hunger Games: A Feminist Approach
If you’re using The Hunger Games in your classroom, or just have an interest in the portrayal of gender, this video raises some great points for discussion. (Caution: spoilers!) There is also a video which examines the film adaptation, although it focusses more on the issues of the portrayal of violence, and whitewashing in Hollywood.
TAGS: adaptations, Emerging Writers' Festival, graphic novels, Neil Gaiman, Net News
